As we prepare to leave for Thanksgiving break, I wanted to say how grateful I am to our students, faculty and staff for working together to protect our community and limit the spread of COVID-19.

While colleges across the state and country saw outbreaks that resulted in sending students home or going solely to remote instruction, we distinguished ourselves with our on-campus testing capability, vigilant adherence to our health and safety protocols, and contact tracing efforts.

We continue to keep a close eye on the infection rates on our campuses and in our communities. Consistent with the increase in cases in the Capital Region, we have seen an increase on our Albany campus. Rest assured, we are promptly testing, contact tracing and quarantining consistent with the CDC's quarantine protocol. If you are a contact of a known positive, you will be contacted the same day we identify a positive case. On behalf of the entire community, we offer our support to those who have tested positive and wish you a speedy recovery. It is awful that the virus has affected these individuals and their close contacts so close to Thanksgiving.

With only a few days left before the break, I urge you all to continue to wear your masks, complete the daily health assessment, remain socially distant, and to take advantage of our ability to provide a rapid COVID-19 test before going home. The cost of the test is $35 and you can use this link to make an appointment. For more information, go to our health and safety web page.

Please remember that we are going to remote instruction after Thanksgiving break. Communications sent from Administrative Operations, Human Resources and Student Affairs have more details on campus operations, employee testing requirements and available student services. 

I am proud of our collective efforts this semester and wish you all a healthy Thanksgiving break.