This message was shared with the students, faculty and staff of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on October 25, 2021.
Aloha UH Mānoa students,
We just passed the midway point of the fall 2021 semester as all of you continue to learn in a majority online environment. And we welcomed fans to our new football stadium for the very first time on Saturday! There is reason for great optimism for the spring 2022 semester and for finally putting the COVID-19 pandemic behind us here at UH Mānoa.
With the formal implementation of the university’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all UH students and employees, we will be able to return to a majority of in-person classes and in-person campus activities in January 2022.
Most of our colleges and schools will be providing in-person instruction in at least 75% of their courses, with several at or near 100% in-person. Others will offer a strong mix of in-person and online classes in response to both program and student needs. We learned during the past three semesters that many students appreciate having choices in the delivery mode of their classes (in-person, online, hybrid), and as a result, many of our programs will be offering in-person and online options for many of their courses.
The campus will be full of life again with our eateries opened and a return to on-campus activities such as musical performances, theatre and dance, guest speakers, fairs and sporting events. This transformation is already starting, with fans now allowed at all of our sporting events and larger social gatherings allowed with permission of the City. In the spring semester, we will be able to cheer on the defending national champion men’s volleyball team at the Stan Sheriff Center, and we look forward to what we hope will be our first normal spring commencement in two years.
As all of us know from experience, the success of our planning largely depends on the status of the pandemic, which has been unpredictable. However, Hawaiʻi and most of the United States are headed in the right direction. We are aiming high as it is time for the full college experience to return to the Mānoa campus. All of us must continue to do our part: receive the all clear from the LumiSight UH daily health check app each day we come to campus and wear masks indoors at all times on campus.
I am so proud of how our entire community—students, faculty and staff—have persevered these last 20 months. The pandemic brought us together as never before, as we worked to keep each other and our communities healthy. Now is the time to step out from its shadow. Keep learning and working toward your degrees, and we will continue to support your learning and your personal growth.
Let’s finish this semester strong as we look forward to the upcoming spring 2022 semester!
Mahalo nui loa,
Michael Bruno
UH Mānoa Provost
