Dean Barr joins fellow Ann Arbor deans in support of vaccination policy

July 30, 2021

We support the University’s vaccination policy wholeheartedly, and urge everyone for whom it is medically safe to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

UM-Ann Arbor deans, joint statement

As the deans of the University’s schools, colleges, and libraries, and directors of research institutes, we write in strong support of the University of Michigan’s decision to require COVID-19 vaccination for all U-M students, faculty and staff, with appropriate exemptions for medical and religious reasons.

The decision will help keep our University community safe and it’s the best way to get us back to our full teaching, research, service, and public engagement missions—doing the most we can for our students and for the broader public good.

Vaccines are essential not only because they protect the health of individuals but also because they are a proven way to reduce the spread of infectious diseases across our community. Already, most students, faculty, and staff have reported that they are vaccinated.

The vaccines developed against COVID are safe and effective. The benefits of COVID vaccination to individuals and to our community far outweigh any risks. We support the University’s vaccination policy wholeheartedly, and urge everyone for whom it is medically safe to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Michael S. Barr
Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy
Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy

F. DuBois Bowman
Dean
School of Public Health

Roger Cone
Director
Life Sciences Institute

Anne L. Curzan
Dean
College of Literature, Science, & Arts

Thomas A. Finholt
Dean
School of Information

Alec D. Gallimore
Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering
College of Engineering

David A. Gier
Dean
School of Music, Theatre and Dance

James L. Hilton
University Librarian and Dean of Libraries

Patricia D. Hurn
Dean
School of Nursing

Francine Lafontaine
Interim Dean
Stephen M. Ross School of Business

David Lam
Director
Institute for Social Research

Jonathan Massey
Dean
A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning

Laurie K. McCauley
Dean
School of Dentistry

Elizabeth B. Moje
Dean
School of Education

Bruce A. Mueller
Interim Dean
College of Pharmacy

Gunalan Nadarajan
Dean
Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design

Jonathan Overpeck
Samuel A. Graham Dean
School for Environment and Sustainability

Lori Ploutz-Snyder
Dean
School of Kinesiology

Marschall S. Runge
Dean, U-M Medical School
Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs

Michael J. Solomon
Dean
Horace H Rackham School of Graduate Studies

Lynn Videka
Dean and Carol T. Mowbray Collegiate Professor
School of Social Work

Mark D. West
David A. Breach Dean of Law
Law School