Furthering its commitment to ensuring students, faculty and staff have information and access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, Michigan State University Tuesday joined more than 260 colleges and universities in the White House and U.S. Department of Education’s COVID-19 College Vaccination Challenge.

The federal government’s COVID-19 College Vaccination Challenge is a commitment by participating colleges across the country to take three key actions to help get their campus communities protected from COVID-19:

• Engage every student, faculty and staff member, to ensure members of the campus community know they are eligible for vaccination and can get one.

• Organize the college community, leading the way by identifying champions for vaccination efforts across campus and implementing a plan to get as many members of the college community vaccinated as possible.

• Deliver vaccine access to all, bringing vaccines on-site and making it easier for students, staff and faculty to get vaccinated at sites near them this summer.

With the primary goal of urging more young people to join their parents and grandparents in getting vaccinated, MSU is a proud supporter of the challenge.

“By accepting the COVID-19 College Vaccination Challenge, we are joining forces with our peers in helping increase vaccination rates across the state and nation, putting ourselves on track to return to more normal experiences sooner,” said MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. “We must all do our part to get there, and I know our Spartans are ready to step up to the challenge together.”

This announcement follows MSU’s continued efforts in maintaining a safe and healthy campus environment during the pandemic. The university has promoted vaccine safety and effectiveness through dedicated webpages, virtual town hall meetings and continued social content.

Spartans can visit msu.edu/together-we-will to find a vaccination provider near them. On campus, MSU Health Care continues to be a source for Spartans to get a free, safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

To learn more about the COVID-19 Vaccination Challenge, visit https://www.whitehouse.gov/COVIDCollegeChallenge/.