College Employees Must Get COVID Vaccines At These NJ Schools

NEW JERSEY — More than a dozen colleges across the state are requiring students to get COVID-19 vaccines, though fewer schools are requiring faculty to get vaccinated.

As of Friday, seven colleges in New Jersey require both students and employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine (see the list below).

Similar to the process for students, faculty must upload their vaccine card to university portals before they can conduct classes in September.

Stockton University is the latest institution to require many of its employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1. Stockton’s mandate applies to faculty, professional staff and temporary employees.

"A vaccinated campus is critical for a vibrant, safe, and healthy learning environment and workplace," Stockton’s president Harvey Kesselman said in a statement. "This is one of the most important steps we all can take to protect ourselves and each other.”

See the full list of New Jersey colleges requiring both students and faculty be vaccinated:

• Princeton University, in Princeton
• Monmouth University, in West Long Branch
• Seton Hall University, in South Orange
• New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), in Newark
• Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken
• Saint Peter's University, in Jersey City
• Stockton University, in Galloway

Princeton University was among the first schools in the state to mandate a vaccine requirement for employees in June. All faculty, visiting researchers, temporary employees and independent contractors had to receive their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Aug. 1.

The university said employees who could not receive the vaccine due to a "disability, medical contraindication or sincerely-held religious belief," could request an exemption.

Other New Jersey schools — including Kean University, Montclair State University and Fairleigh Dickinson University — are encouraging faculty to get the shots, but not requiring it.

Rutgers University, which in March was among the first in the nation to announce a student vaccination policy, is requiring health care and public safety workers to get vaccinated. As for faculty and staff, the school said it is only “strongly urging” these groups to get the vaccine.

Nine colleges in New Jersey currently only require students to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including Kean, Montclair, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rider, Drew, The College of New Jersey and Ramapo College.

As the delta variant continues to spread across the country, the number of colleges requiring faculty to get the COVID-19 vaccine could increase.

Beyond just requiring COVID-19 vaccines for faculty and students, Monmouth University instituted a mask mandate earlier this week amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across the state, and specifically in Monmouth County.

"All members of the Monmouth University community and guests to our campus – regardless of vaccination status – will be required to wear masks indoors, except when eating and when sitting in a private office or residence hall room,” Monmouth’s president Patrick F. Leahy said in a statement.

With reporting from additional Patch staff.

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