From Rutgers Today, April 13, 2021
While most Rutgers faculty and staff have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic, a group of university employees continued to report to campus to do their jobs.
They maintained the grounds, cleaned the medical and research facilities, made sure students who were home had access to the technology they needed to continue to learn, and ensured the health and public safety of everyone still on campus.
“While most of us have been telecommuting the past year, we cannot forget the many dedicated employees who have remained on campus, doing the jobs that cannot be done remotely,” said Antonio Calcado, executive vice president for strategic planning and operations and chief operating officer.
“We are grateful for the dedication of our staff. Their efforts have been essential to maintaining the university, as well as providing vital services to those who are on our campuses and using our facilities, and ultimately ensuring everyone’s safe return to Rutgers,’’ Calcado said.
As the growing availability of vaccines is making it possible to start looking forward to having people return to campus, we are sharing the stories from those who played a crucial role in keeping the university running through this challenging year.
President Jonathan Holloway also celebrated these essential workers in a recent letter to the Rutgers community.
“I especially want to honor those workers at Rutgers who never left,” Holloway said. “Because of the nature of your jobs, you continued to show up on campus to maintain buildings and grounds, ensure that labs were operating properly, and keep the community safe and secure. You have my enduring admiration and thanks.”
