Office of the President
January 24, 2022



Dear William Paterson Faculty and Staff,

Welcome to the Spring 2022 semester at William Paterson University! I hope you all had a good break, found time to relax and be with family and friends, and are now ready to make this a great semester. 

While we are taking the sensible step to begin the semester remotely, the continued sharp decline in COVID cases in Passaic County and throughout our region means that we will all be back together again on campus this time next week. I was pleased to be able to help welcome back resident students as they began moving in over the weekend and observe the well-organized rapid COVID testing operation run in conjunction with move-in. I want to thank everyone in the Counseling, Health and Wellness Center and Student Development, especially Residence Life, for making things run smoothly for this first group of returning students, and I look forward to welcoming back everyone else soon. 

Upon our return to campus, we can ensure another great semester of in-person classes, athletics, and other activities by continuing to comply with the most up-to-date protocols, which Dr. Jill Guzman, Director of the Counseling, Health and Wellness Center, and Vice President for Human Resources Allison Boucher-Jarvis shared in their Jan. 21 email. At the heart of these protocols are the masking and vaccination requirements that we are all well accustomed to, as well as the guidelines for quarantine/isolation and testing, which will be regularly available on campus this semester. I would again urge all who are eligible to get the booster, too, though it is not required at this time. Please make sure to review the email from Dr. Guzman and VP Boucher-Jarvis closely, and check your email and the WP website for updates throughout the semester.

There are many great things happening at William Paterson and a lot of important and promising work to be done this semester, from the classroom to the institutional level and everywhere in between. I look forward to speaking with you more about these and other developments at my February 3rd Spring 2022 State of the University Address in the Shea Center. Please check your email this afternoon for an invitation with all the details, including how to view the address online if you’re unable to join us in person.

I want to again thank you for all you do for the University and our students. I know that this continued commitment will make for another meaningful semester of growth and achievement at William Paterson. I am excited for all the good things to come between now and Commencement for the Class of 2022 on May 18. Have a great first week.
Sincerely,

Richard J. Helldobler, Ph.D.
President
Office of the President | 973.720.2222 | [email protected]