DAVIE, Fla. — A private college in South Florida will require students and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when they return to campuses for in-person learning this fall.
Nova Southeastern University, which has become the first school in the country to mandate vaccines for both staff and students, set a vaccination deadline of Aug. 1, according to CBS Miami. However, it's not yet clear when the first day of class will be.
According to the television station, the Broward County-based university recently partnered with the county health department there to open a vaccination location at its main campus to distribute the Johnson & Johnson shot on April 5. Appointments are already fully booked.
"As the state, nation and world begins to emerge from the months-long changes to our lives brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is pleased to announce that it intends to resume full, in-person classroom learning for on-ground courses for the fall 2021 semester," the university wrote in a statement. "What makes this different from what other colleges and universities have announced for the fall semester is that NSU is mandating that all students and employees be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by August 1."
NSU has 20,435 students enrolled and prides itself as Florida's largest private research university. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the student body includes 6,314 undergraduates and 14,574 advanced-degree students.
The university is the largest educator of physicians in the Sunshine State.
NSU has eight campuses around the state, including one in Clearwater. Its primary campus is in Davie. Others are located in Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando and Palm Beach Gardens.
It also operates a regional campus in Puerto Rico.
If you're wondering where Tampa Bay area universities stand on vaccine mandates, here's what we know so far:
- University of South Florida: USF doesn't currently require COVID-19 vaccines for students, faculty or staff. It has not decided whether it will do so once vaccinations are more widely available.
- University of Tampa: UT is not mandating students or employees get the vaccine. Health measures, such as mask-wearing, will continue.
- St. Pete College: The college is not currently requiring vaccinations to return to school.
- Eckerd College: The college is not requiring vaccinations but strongly encouraging them.
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