Office of the President
To: The university community
Welcome back to Georgia State as we start a fall semester that promises to be like no other in the university’s history. Starting my first semester as president of our great university, among many activities, the safety and health of our community has been my first priority. As we’ve prepared for the return of students, faculty and staff, we’ve followed University System of Georgia guidelines in instituting practices and procedures.
To be as effective as they can be, those practices and procedures require the cooperation and collaboration of each and every one of us. If we work together and take personal responsibility for our health and others’ we can assure this coming semester will be productive and rewarding.
I strongly urge everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccines have proven to be our most effective weapon against the virus, and our success in combating it this fall is predicated on how many of us are immunized. Getting vaccinated was very important to my family, and with a 10-year-old son, it has been even more important for us to continue to wear our face masks consistently. Face masks remain a fundamental tool in inhibiting the spread of COVID-19, and I encourage everyone to wear them when around others. Take advantage of the university’s COVID testing facilities, and regularly monitor your health. If you contract the virus, use the university’s Web resources to report it and help protect others. Take care of yourself and your university community.
Even in my second week in the office, I’ve been impressed by the commitment and dedication of so many members of our community. They’ve instilled in me great confidence that Georgia State has the knowledge, sense of responsibility, willfulness and perseverance to meet the challenges and overcome the obstacles confronting us.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out and send me suggestions as many of you have through the summer. This has been so valuable as I get to know the university.
Together, I feel confident we’ll accomplish great things this fall.
M. Brian Blake
President