Two private universities in South Florida are requiring all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as the fall semester is set to begin this month.
The University of Miami announced in July that employees of its Coral Gables main campus and the university’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science are expected to be fully vaccinated for the 2021-2022 academic year. Sunday marked the deadline for employees of the university to receive their final vaccine doses in advance of the Aug. 23 start or the fall semester.
Nova Southeastern University, which has its main campus in Fort Lauderdale, announced a vaccination requirement for employees in July. The mandatory vaccination policy went into effect Sunday, and university employees have until Sept. 20 to complete their doses.
Meanwhile, Nova Southeastern is asking students to voluntarily report their vaccination status to help “get back to a better fall.” Its goal, according to the university website, is for 70 to 80% of students reporting vaccinations before the school will drop a mask mandate.
As of Monday, just under 50% of students at its main campus had reported being vaccinated. Florida’s public university system has not required that employees get vaccinated. The 12 public universities are planning a return to normal operations with mask-optional policies, while urging vaccinations for everyone on campus.
