October 26, 2021
Conference and Vaccine Requirement Follow Up
It was nice to see and talk to everyone this past week at the 2021 K-State Research and Extension Annual Conference. Thank you for your collegiality and engagement at the conference and for your ongoing commitment to our extension mission.
On Friday morning, the university announced it will comply with the federal COVID-19 vaccine requirement for federal contractors. Based on guidance from the Kansas Board of Regents, it was determined that President Biden’s September 9 executive order, and the related Safer Federal Workforce Task Force guidance, applies to all three Kansas research universities and their employees. The university, including K-State Research and Extension, is a federal contractor that receives over $200 million in federal funds. This includes $5.4 million dollars in Smith Lever funds, $4.5 million dollars in Hatch funds (Agricultural Experiment Station), and many other important contracts and grants issued by federal agencies.
All university employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Wednesday, December 8, 2021, as a condition of employment. I know you may have questions about this requirement, including timelines, reporting, and medical or religious exemption applications.
The K-State Today Special Update issued on Friday has several helpful links explaining these issues and answering some frequently asked questions. The link to that article is: https://www.k-state.edu/today/info/announcement/?id=78099. The university has also launched the website regarding the vaccine requirement: https://www.k-state.edu/covid-19/vaccine/requirement/.