April 6, 2021
Dear T’22s, Admitted T’23s, Faculty and Staff,
With the good news of increasing vaccinations here in the Upper Valley, across the United States, and in many parts of the world, members of our community are rightfully starting to inquire about next academic year and TuckGO travel.
We are extremely hopeful about our next academic year. The aspiration remains for academic year 2021 – 2022 to see a vibrant return to campus life, complete with as many in-person classes, co-curricular events, and travel opportunities as public health guidance will allow. For today, I write to share our current thinking and plans regarding TuckGO specifically.
For academic year 2021 – 2022, we have decided to focus our TuckGO efforts entirely on Global Insight Expeditions (GIXs) and term exchanges. (T’22s have already applied for and been offered term exchange slots for fall of 2021 or winter of 2022, contingent upon public health conditions). By dedicating our efforts to GIXs next year, we will be able to deliver the most international opportunities possible and be in the best position to successfully navigate any lingering travel constraints from COVID. This is particularly important for the Class of 2022 which now has a condensed window of time to participate in TuckGO travel.
Our current plan is to run a few GIXs during the winter break which will be exclusively available to T’22s. As second-year students, T’22s finish their fall term in late November and have a longer winter break whereas first-year students finish up Fall B coursework in early December. During the spring break we then plan to run a full slate of GIXs, opening a number of those spots to T’23s as well.
We are working diligently to maximize the chance that each T’22 can participate in a GIX at some point next year, and that our T’23s will have ample international opportunities during the course of their two years of study at Tuck. And as always, the TuckGO team will work with students who have conflicts related to dual degree program requirements, personal health concerns, or other factors.
Colleagues in TuckGO are monitoring the public health conditions and vaccination uptake around the world, formulating plans based on where Tuck will be able to safely send students and faculty on GIXs in academic year 2021 – 2022. As countries adopt travel requirements and deliberate over “COVID vaccine credentials,” we too will evolve our plans, evaluating destinations with health and wellness foremost in mind.
We will continue to provide updates as plans develop, but we share our current thinking today with great optimism and excitement.
If you have any questions, ideas or thoughts you’d like to offer regarding TuckGO next academic year, please reach out to Lisa Miller.
Thank you and keep well,
Joe
Joe Hall, Senior Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning
Dartmouth has formed a high-level task force to plan for and manage possible disruptions related to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, monitor federal and state recommendations, implement guidance, and communicate with our community.