August 30, 2021
Dear Scripps College Community Members,
It is my great pleasure to officially welcome you to the 2021–22 academic year!
In the 18 months we have been away from campus, our community has demonstrated laudable resilience, flexibility, patience, and amazingly hard work in the face of unforeseen personal, academic, and professional adversity. We have many reasons to be proud of the ways in which students, faculty, and staff have risen to the challenges of adjusting to remote learning and working while reinventing the Scripps educational experience in new virtual formats. At the same time, we are eager to resume in-person teaching and learning on our campus and to recapture the vibrant spirit of community that thrives when we collaborate, explore, and engage in a shared physical space.
The essence of Scripps’ mission—our interdisciplinary curriculum, intimate residential community, and creative and collaborative culture—is fully realized amid the unparalleled beauty of our campus. I look forward to seeing you exchanging ideas in classrooms, at Malott Commons, and on courtyard benches; stopping for impromptu conversations as you walk across campus; and socializing safely at community events, outdoors of course!
As faculty and students return to classrooms and staff phase back to in-person work, we have the opportunity to fully embody the Scripps College motto, Incipit Vita Nova—here begins new life. The fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic means that the College has and will continue to adjust many aspects of campus life to protect the health and safety of our community and to minimize virus transmission. We have established numerous measures to promote the health and wellness of our community, including: vaccine mandates, pre-arrival testing for students, and ongoing community testing protocols.
In response to the current surge in virus cases, I am announcing a recent change to our testing protocol. The College will require weekly screening tests for all students, faculty, and staff in the initial weeks of the semester. To comply with this requirement, all students, faculty, and staff must download the Healthfully app by September 3.
Detailed information about testing protocols, medical monitoring and support resources, and isolation and quarantine procedures is available on the Scripps Strong website. I encourage every student, faculty, and staff member to bookmark this site and check it regularly, as it provides the most accurate, timely, and comprehensive information about health and safety regulations and resources at Scripps. Thank you for honoring our commitment to keeping our peers, friends, and families safe and healthy.
I am grateful for your ingenuity, resourcefulness, and cooperation, which has ensured Scripps’ ability to, once again, deliver a world-class educational experience on our distinctive campus while protecting the safety and wellbeing of our community and our neighbors. As we navigate this next phase of Scripps’ journey, I am proud to be a part of this community of scholars, innovators, leaders, and advocates for a more equitable and just future. I look forward to the year ahead!
Sincerely,
Amy Marcus-Newhall
Interim President