ARIZONA, USA — Arizona's three public universities are requiring their employees to be vaccinated for the coronavirus by Dec. 8.
Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona announced Friday they expect faculty members to show proof of vaccination by the end of the fall semester.
The universities intend to offer exemptions recognizing religious or medical accommodations as allowed under federal law.
NAU and UArizona said its mandate applies to undergraduate and graduate students who work on campus.
UArizona President Robert Robbins said the Tucson university must already meet vaccine requirements dictated in contracts with the federal government.
"The University has hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, funding critical research, employment, and educational efforts, and already has received amended federal contracts that include this requirement," Robbins said in a letter Friday morning. "While we respect individual opinions regarding the vaccine, we will continue with these mission-critical endeavors and will be complying with this new requirement."
A spokesperson for ASU told KTAR News said the Tempe-based university did not want to risk losing federal funding by not complying with vaccine requirements.
“Continued receipt of these funds is essential to ASU’s mission as a comprehensive public research university as well as to the Arizona economy,” the spokesperson told KTAR.
