Dear Bereans,

This is the update for Tuesday, June 1, 2021.  As we have reached the end of the 20-21 academic year, and as the progression of the pandemic is mostly moving in favorable directions, I have decided to reduce the frequency of the campus updates to once per week, generally on Mondays excepting holidays.

Quarantine, testing and vaccination update

No on-campus employees or students are in any sort of quarantine at present.  We are at almost 65% employees who have documented fully vaccinated status.

Kentucky and Madison County update

The Madison County Health Department reported 11, 2, 3, 1, and 3 new cases for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday.  The number of current active cases is at 51.  Our 7-day average of new cases per day remains at 5, keeping us now well into the Yellow Zone at 5.1 new cases per day per 100,000 residents.  The total number of deaths in the county attributable to COVID-19 as reported by the State remains at 111.

Gov. Beshear reported 415, 383, 205, 96, and 137 new COVID-19 cases and 6, 6, 7, 3, and 1 (!)  new deaths for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and today, respectively, in Kentucky.  The 7-day average of the number of new cases/day has decreased to 298 and the average of numbers of deaths/day is down by one to 6.  The latest test positivity rate has continued has held steady at 2.50%.

Gradual improvement is continuing in the Commonwealth and in Madison County.

Vaccination policy at other colleges and universities

As of this morning, the Chronicle of Higher Education lists 443 schools that will require vaccination in the fall.  https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/live-coronavirus-updates/heres-a-list-of-colleges-that-will-require-students-to-be-vaccinated-against-covid-19.

Fellowship Honor for Berea graduate

(This item is not specifically COVID related, and normally I would announce news of fellowships in my monthly President’s Reports.  I am including it here because the next President’s Report will not come out until the fall.)

Ann Butwell, Education Abroad Advisor, shared news just today of a very significant international fellowship honor.  Berea College graduate Lauren Heller (Berea College Class of 2018) has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a Master of Public Health degree in Australia.  The full text of the Fulbright announcement occurs below my signature, along with a celebratory picture of Lauren.  CONGRATULATIONS LAUREN!!!

Stay safe, stay negative, stay in touch,
Lyle Roelofs, President
Berea College