Coronavirus Updates

COVID-19 community update

March 23, 2021

As recently announced, planning for Fall 2021 is well underway. We are excited to welcome the UNB community back to our campuses.

We will be expanding our in-person activities and face-to-face experiences for the 2021-22 academic year. We are anticipating that Fall 2021 will bear more resemblance to a traditional UNB experience by offering many undergraduate and graduate courses in-person within the public health guidelines.

While we cannot make a definitive commitment to resuming all campus activities as prior to the pandemic, students, faculty and staff can expect a significant increase to in-person components beginning in September 2021.

What students can expect

Fall 2021 will look much different from this past academic year. You can anticipate that the majority of classes offered in Fall 2021 will have an in-person component. We recommend that you prepare to be on campus in September to attend in-person classes.

  • Courses will be offered using a variety of formats including in-person instruction, virtual alternate delivery methods or a combination of both in-person instruction and virtual components.
  • We will continue to provide flexibility and access to course material and lectures for students unable to attend in-person if there is a documented concern such as travel delays and restrictions.
  • Capacity restrictions may keep larger lecture classes virtual while small-to-medium-sized classes, labs and tutorials may be offered safely in person.
  • In-person activities and events will be held on campus in accordance with New Brunswick Public Health requirements.
  • The course timetable will be updated with Fall 2021 course delivery methods in April. More information will be shared once available.
  • Our residence halls will be open to all UNB students. UNB Residences are currently accepting applications for Fall 2021. If you have already applied and did not receive a confirmation email regarding your application, contact the Residence Office.

What faculty and staff can expect

Since the onset of the pandemic, we have worked closely with New Brunswick Public Health to establish processes and supports to provide a safe environment for students, faculty and staff in which to learn, work and live.

  • Our planning for Fall 2021 is not dependent on the vaccine rollout. We have strong health and safety measures in place to provide a safe and measured approach to expand in-person experiences for Fall 2021.
  • We will work together to balance the needs of faculty and staff as we expand our services on campus to deliver in-person experiences for Fall 2021.
  • We are in the initial stages of developing guidelines for returning to work on campus to provide deans, directors, and unit managers guidance to find the best way forward. We will continue to provide fair and supportive accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

I appreciate that some of you are excited for the return to campus while others may have concerns. We will continue to share information as plans progress and additional details become available.

The unpredictability of COVID-19 will require a creative, flexible and collaborative approach on the part of the University, students, faculty and staff in the months ahead. We will be living with COVID-19 and the public health measures used to minimize its risks for some time to come.

We must continue moving forward to adapt to our new normal, a better and safer normal.

Paul J. Mazerolle
President and Vice-Chancellor

See past community updates