Mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirement for NSHE employees

September 30, 2021

Dear Wolf Pack Family,

I hope this message finds you well. The effort by our entire campus community to ensure that our fall semester is a safe one has been inspiring and humbling; thank you for going the extra mile in following the public health guidelines that have been in place this semester.

As we are all aware, the delta variant continues to present Nevada, the nation and the world with a persistent public health challenge that is requiring all of us to re-double our efforts in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. The most effective strategy in fighting COVID-19’s spread has been through vaccinations, which have helped keep hospitalizations as well as the death rate much lower among those individuals who have been fully vaccinated. Currently, although the University’s vaccination rate for employees stands at 86.4 percent, throughout NSHE approximately 1 in 5 employees remain unvaccinated.

Mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirement

The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents met earlier today and voted to approve an emergency amendment to the NSHE Code that sets forth policies and procedures enacting a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all NSHE employees, effective Dec. 1. The new Code provision follows an earlier mandate from Aug. 20 when the Nevada State Board of Public Health voted to require the COVID-19 vaccine for all students attending NSHE institutions, which needs to be completed by Nov. 1, 2021, in order to enroll at the earliest time or the Spring 2022 semester. The new Code provisions can be found on the NSHE website [external PDF].

Today’s approval by the Board of Regents of a mandatory employee COVID-19 vaccine requirement means that all active NSHE employees, regardless of job title or status, must receive a verifiable and complete COVID-19 vaccination series on or before Dec. 1, 2021. The provisions and procedures set forth include notice of a disciplinary procedures timeline and a provision for employees to request a waiver from the requirement due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Failure of an employee to comply with the vaccine requirement, in the absence of an approved waiver, will result in termination from employment on Dec. 31, 2021.

This action by the Board of Regents signals the latest step in NSHE’s ongoing fight against the spread of COVID-19. The University continues to encourage all students, faculty and staff to seek out vaccination if you haven’t already done so.

Vaccination options

You can take advantage of several options that are available to you in order to receive your vaccinations, including:

• Make a vaccine appointment at no cost by contacting the University Student Health Center at (775) 784-6598
• Make a vaccine appointment with the Washoe County Health District
• Text your zip code to 438829 to get locations near you with vaccines in stock
• Use the COVID-19 Vaccine Locator from Immunize Nevada

Information regarding all COVID-19 policies, including information on how an individual can get a vaccination, is on the University’s coronavirus page.

Virtual employee meeting

The University will be holding a virtual Employee Session meeting via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7, in an effort to answer any questions you may have about the employee COVID-19 vaccine requirement. 

Virtual meeting Zoom link

Full vaccination is our best weapon in a COVID-19 fight that we can win as we follow the public health guidelines and mandates that the State of Nevada, Governor Steve Sisolak, Board of Regents, and Washoe County provide. Let’s continue to Protect the Pack.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President