We approach the new year aware there are still challenges to overcome, but with the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, we do see a light at the end of this long tunnel. With all the challenges of this past year, it’s important to appreciate our successes and to look forward to the Renaissance of in-person activity that awaits us in the year ahead. We are confident we will emerge from the pandemic, a stronger, more caring, more connected community.
Our Successful Fall Quarter
This fall, UC San Diego brought back to campus 9,129 students to live, study and conduct research. Together with the remaining 31,072 students who lived off campus, they took classes online, in person, or in a hybrid format. Joining the students on campus were 18,798 staff and faculty.
During the fall quarter, we offered free bi-weekly testing for all students, faculty and staff—those working or taking courses from home and those living on campus or coming to campus for study, work and/or research. Since March, UC San Diego has conducted more than 89,000 student tests and more than 22,000 campus employee tests.
To conform to county health guidelines, we reconfigured classrooms to provide the recommended physical distance for occupants, augmented entrance and exit traffic patterns, maximized fresh air ventilation, increased sanitization, and limited class size to 25% of room capacity, capping classes at 50 students. We also constructed four outdoor classrooms for 50-75 students each, with WiFi, power, and A/V. More outdoor classrooms are planned for the winter quarter.
Our comprehensive research continuity plan successfully brought 25% or 6,100 members of our research community—including undergraduate and graduate researchers—back to campus to continue important research and to undertake new COVID-19-related projects.
As a consequence of our multilayered Return to Learn strategy, the 14-day positivity rate for UC San Diego students on and off campus has averaged between 0.12% and 0.87% throughout the fall quarter. During that same time, the positivity rate in San Diego County averaged between 2.7% and 8.7%.
Our Recipe for Success
The success of Return to Learn required collaborative expertise, resources and a tremendous amount of cooperation from students, faculty, and staff to implement. UC San Diego was well positioned to face the pandemic with our two major hospitals, clinics, a health care network, drug trial units, and separate schools of medicine, pharmacy and pharmaceutical science, and public health. Our university teems with scientists who specialize in finding, tracking and fighting viruses like COVID-19 and who work collaboratively to address large societal issues.
We came together early on to assess the pandemic, the virus and the disease it causes. Slowly, at first, we learned, shared information and began growing our knowledge base. By early May, we began to test asymptotic students, faculty, and staff for COVID-19. Today, UC San Diego Health frequently does more COVID testing than all four of the medical centers at our sister UC campuses combined.
But most importantly, you, our students, faculty, and staff working and studying on campus and off, not only helped create Return to Learn, but also committed to implementing the plan. Daily screening, masking, physical distancing, regular testing, installing CA Notify, and helping develop and encourage a culture of caring. We could not experience this success without your collective efforts.
Thank You
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has changed the way we engage as a society. But per our usual spirit of changemaking, UC San Diego rose to the challenge with impressive results.
Our hospital was first in San Diego to treat COVID-19. Our researchers immediately dove into understanding how it is transmitted and how we can treat it. Our faculty reconfigured instruction for remote and hybrid learning. Our staff reimagined nearly all of our services to ensure everyone had access to important resources. And our students led the way in caring for one another and keeping campus safer.
Together, we built new ways for our entire community to interact and learn during the pandemic. And together, we set an example for all of higher education. You have been there every step of the way: exploring, reshaping, reinventing, learning, and providing excellent service.
The grace and speed with which you responded to the challenges of COVID-19 are truly commendable. And we cannot thank you enough. We truly appreciate your resilience, ingenuity and dedication. It is your hard work that enables UC San Diego to fulfill its mission to be a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university.
Happy Holidays
Along with a gradual return to a more traditional campus experience, we have much to celebrate in 2021, including the opening of the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley, the Design and Innovation Building, Franklin Antonio Hall, and new restaurants and retail at North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.
There is no limit to our Triton potential. We are grateful and highly encouraged by the spirit you have shown this past year, and we look forward to all that we will accomplish together in 2021.
Wishing you and your loved ones all the hope and joy that a new year brings.
