Updated October 26, 2020 – NBTS responds to COVID-19 – Schedule Changes, Closings, & Information
October 26, 2020
Click here for resources for information about COVID-19
NBTS Restart Plan – Updated October 26, 2020
October 26, 2020 Update:
We value your health and safety above everything else. So today, we announce that we will continue remote learning for the Spring 2021 semester.
We did not come to this decision easily or happily. We miss you and we know you miss the classroom. We pray that later in the spring term we can have some classes in our favorite building. But above everything else, we will follow the science and the mandates given by the State of New Jersey.
President McCreary always says, “I am because you are, and you are because I am” and this is the motto with which we enter this season. If you are sick, then we are all sick. I stay behind a computer screen because I value your life and mine. We stay distant now, so no one is missing when we gather again.
Be well dear friends,
Beth
Rev. Beth LaNeel Tanner, Ph.D.
Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs
August 12, 2020 Update:
June 4, 2020 Update:
All New Brunswick Theological Seminary classes will be online for Fall 2020
The Administration and Faculty of the seminary have had extensive discussions concerning possibilities for the upcoming fall semester. Students have weighed-in during the Dean’s chat and in one-on-one conversations with leadership about their desires for next semester. What we learned in the past few months from the CDC is that the most significant risk of infection of the CoronaVirus is to be in a closed room with other people for an extended period of time, even if social distancing is observed. In other words, the traditional classroom setting is at a high risk for spreading COVID-19.
Making this decision now allows the Faculty time to prepare the quality teaching you have come to appreciate and gives you time to prepare for online learning.
We are working on some creative ways for us to connect as a community both virtually and safely in-person. But for the fall, all instruction will be done entirely online.
Please continue to watch your email for additional announcements from the Gardner A. Sage Library as the staff looks for ways to best serve you and your needs.
Thank you for patience as we move forward during these unusual circumstances. Please reach out if you have questions of concerns.
We remain in God’s care,
Micah McCreary, President
Beth Tanner, VP and Dean of Academic Affairs
March 31, 2020 Update:
Greeting NBTS Family,
I pray earnestly that each of you are faring well in this time of adjustment and reorientation. Please pray for several members of our seminary family who have tested positive for Covid-19, and one who has been hospitalized and placed on a ventilator.
I write to update you on several matters, including class schedules and commencement.
- Based on the recommendation by the VP/Dean of Academic Affairs and our faculty I have decided that we will continue our classes online for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester and also for the Summer 2020 semester.
- The April 4, 2020 Warren Dennis Lecture has been postponed.
- Our Underwood International Symposium in Seoul, Korea and our Summer School of Theology in Amsterdam are both officially cancelled.
Commencement:
- Formal Baccalaureate and Commencement on May 22 & 23, 2020 are postponed.
- Around the end of the academic year, we will have an online, end-of-the-year celebration for the entire NBTS family. More information to come.
- We will hold individual degree-conferring ceremonies with each graduate later in the summer. During these ceremonies, the graduate will be hooded by the VP/Dean and their degree will be conferred by the President.
- Our 2020 graduates will be included in our 2021 Commencement celebration.
Thank you for adjusting to the “new normal” in a manner that affirms our mission as a seminary and as leaders in our society.
In Joy and In Justice!
Resources for information about COVID-19
CDC – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
State of NJ – https://covid19.nj.gov/
NJ Department of Health – https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml
Middlesex County Health Services – http://www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Government/Departments/PSH/Pages/2019-CoV.aspx
March 15, 2020 Update
A new study has revealed that the COVID-19 virus can live on surfaces from 2 to 5 days. Updated actions:
Classroom Instruction at NBTS
- Beginning Monday, March 16 until further notice, all course instruction will be delivered remotely. All face-to-face instruction is suspended.
- We are encouraging all members of the Seminary Community to employ the following social distancing techniques:
- Keep at least six feet between yourself and others.
- Avoid close contact, including handshakes and hugging.
- On-site Warren Dennis Lecture and Women’s Stories Day Program are both cancelled. Information regarding the on-line lectures is forthcoming.
- All members of our community are asked to frequently wash your hands for 20 seconds and check your temperature daily.
Gardner Sage Library
Starting Saturday, March 14, the Gardner A. Sage Library will be closed until further notice.- Beginning Reading Week, Sage Library’s online services will be available Monday to Friday 11AM-5PM and Saturday noon-5PM. To schedule an online appointment email: sage.library@nbts.edu.
Faculty and Staff
- NBTS offices will be closed until further notice.
- Employees are to work from home. If an employee has to work in the building, please wear gloves until you have reached your office and wear gloves as you exit your office. Sanitize your work area with alcohol-based wipes and wash your hands as you enter and exit your office area.
- Employees are to use Zoom in lieu of in-person meetings.
- Employees may go in on Monday or Tuesday to pick up any materials they may need to work from home.
- Supervisors will be in touch with their employees by phone or zoom to discuss work assignments while employees work from home.
Community
- All public events are cancelled until further notice.
–President Micah L. McCreary