Campus Update
January 22, 2021
Dear WCU Campus Community,
I write with a brief update on vaccination efforts in North Carolina and their impact
on our faculty and staff. Yesterday evening, the North Carolina Department of Health
and Human Services published an updated explanation of where higher education faculty
and staff fall in the North Carolina Prioritization framework. You can find that information here.
Currently, only priority Groups 1 and 2 are authorized at the state level for vaccines.
To manage expectations, NCDHHS expects it will be several weeks before the state will
complete vaccinations of Groups 1 and 2 and open eligibility to Group 3, although
some locales may see availability prior to that time contingent upon vaccine availability.
I also wish to share with you that Western Carolina University has been selected by
the UNC System as a regional vaccination site. Planning is underway on this effort
and I anticipate that, depending upon vaccine availability, WCU’s vaccine clinic will
open by mid-February. Until then, we will continue to work with our state and regional
partners in the vaccination efforts. As more details become available, we will notify
the campus.
In closing, I ask that we all remain diligent in maintaining our Catamounts Care standards.
Mask wearing, hand washing, and maintaining social distance are more important than
ever. Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our community safe.
Sincerely,
Chancellor Kelli R. Brown
See more information
Catamounts Care
Shared community standards remind us that we each have personal responsibility for
actions that may affect our own health and the health of our friends, colleagues,
and the broader campus community. Our collective acceptance of this shared responsibility
will be the most effective strategy we will have at our disposal in the challenging
months ahead. We know that Catamounts Care and we have developed a set of standards
to encourage everyone to put the well-being of themselves and others top of mind.
Learn more about our community standards
