Dear University of Missouri employees,
The University of Missouri Board of Curators at their meeting today approved a resolution declaring that the university would comply with the federal vaccine mandate for federal contractors.
This comes after university administrators spent weeks reviewing Executive Order 14042 issued by the federal government and other actions taken by the state of Missouri, including Executive Order 21-10 issued by Gov. Mike Parson and a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and attorneys general of nine other states.
Significant interruptions to the university’s research and service missions and loss of federal funds were likely had the Board not taken this action. With the approval of the resolution, all UM System employees, including faculty, staff and student employees, must comply with the requirements of the federal mandate with exceptions for those who object because of a religious belief or have a verified medical reason. Additionally, university administrators could also determine that an employee is not covered by the mandate due to the nature of their work, their work location and their lack of interactions with covered employees connected to federal contracts. The mandate does not apply to students who do not work for the university. The current deadline for employees to complete the vaccination process is Jan. 4, to allow enough wait time to become fully vaccinated by Jan. 18.
In the meantime, if you have already been vaccinated and have not already uploaded your proof of vaccination to the COVID Vaccine Uploader in myHR (myhr.umsystem.edu), please do so as soon as possible. If you have not yet received a vaccination, the coming weeks allow time to do so. To find vaccination sites, check our university websites for information or the state’s vaccine locator.
Soon, the UM System universities will provide more details on policies, processes, training and informational opportunities. That information will include how employees may request exemptions. We are developing a structure that will allow us to evaluate exemptions as quickly as possible to process those requests.
We will continue to watch this evolving situation closely. As the Board of Curators’ resolution indicates, all or part of the mandate could be adjusted or rescinded due to changes in federal rules or court actions.
Thank you for your patience and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Mun Y. Choi, President, University of Missouri
C. Mauli Agrawal, Chancellor, UMKC
Mohammad Dehghani, Chancellor, Missouri S&T
Kristin Sobolik, Chancellor, UMSL
Reviewed 2021-12-02