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Yale SOM Executive Education COVID-19 Information

This webpage is an up-to-date resource for participants and clients of Yale SOM Executive Education in regards to COVID-19.

Last updated: October 20, 2023

To our Yale SOM Executive Education Community, we want to address your questions and concerns regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and how it affects your professional development at Yale. This website was designed to share information and updates so you can make informed decisions regarding your health, your program participation, and the health of the community.

We believe great leadership, built on agility, creativity, rationality, and morality, is abundantly important in times of uncertainty. Yale SOM Executive Education has continued our efforts to safely and effectively make critical managerial and leadership education accessible, especially in the face of today’s global health crises.

We take the concerns of our participants seriously and are following Yale University and CDC guidelines to maintain the health and safety of our participants, faculty, staff, and other visitors. Our policies may change from time to time in response to evolving public health conditions. We ask for your partnership in prioritizing the health and education of our communities.

At Yale SOM Executive Education, we uphold Yale University’s commitment to maintain an inclusive environment of respect and freedom from discrimination and to support all members of our community affected by this global health threat. For more information on Yale’s nondiscrimination policies, please read Yale’s Nondiscrimination Notice.

Contact Information

For Programs Delivered Directly by the Yale School of Management

Point of Contact: Jaime Willadsen, Registrar & Associate Director of Learning Operations
Email: somexeced.registrar@yale.edu

For Online Programs Delivered by Collaborators

2U/GetSmarter

Email: 
yale.som.execed@getsmarter.com
Phone: +1 203 439 4771

ExecOnline

Point of Contact: Crystal Grandison, Senior Director of Marketing
Email: cgrandison@execonline.com

Health and Safety Protocols at a Glance

Please review our FAQ below for more detailed information.  All Executive Education participants:

  • Are strongly encouraged to be up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before coming to campus.
  • Must be asymptomatic for illness (including COVID-19) when traveling to campus.
  • Must follow all l health and safety measures described on this page and as directed by Yale SOM Executive Education staff while participating in a Yale SOM program.
  • Must mask, isolate, and test immediately if they develop any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 while on campus. 
  • Should have a personal contingency plan in case they test positive for COVID-19 during their Yale SOM program.

Before the program

Yale strongly encourages all participants to be up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) before coming to campus.

Yale encourages all participants to test negative for COVID-19 before traveling to New Haven. Please do not travel to New Haven if you test positive or if you have symptoms of any communicable illness (including COVID-19). 

In general, the university follows the CDC travel guidance. Individuals experiencing symptoms must mask, isolate, and test immediately. If the test is positive, the individual should continue to isolate and speak to their health care provider.  

The International SOS COVID Trip Planner offers guidance on government-imposed requirements for international itineraries.

While it is our goal to deliver our programs as scheduled, we may postpone programs or deliver them online. If one of our programs is cancelled, postponed, or shifted to online learning, we will notify those affected as soon as possible.   

If you registered for an open enrollment program directly through Yale and the program is cancelled, we will refund participants their full program fees. Because travel costs are not included in program fees, we will not reimburse travel costs and we strongly recommend that each participant make refundable arrangements where possible. 

If you registered for a custom or corporate program through your employer or another organization, Yale continues to be in touch with the responsible contact at your organization to discuss the details of how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact your program. Any decision to cancel or postpone will be communicated to you by your organization. 

If you have further questions about your program, please reach out to the Yale SOM Executive Education team member either listed on your program webpage or who has been in communication with your organization. 

If you registered and paid directly through Yale for an open enrollment program, be it online or on campus, you may withdraw from the course subject to the terms of our standard refund policy. If you have booked your own hotel, please check with the hotel about their refund policy. 

If you registered and paid for a Yale SOM Executive Education program through one of our program collaborators, like 2U/GetSmarter or ExecOnline, please reach out to the contact listed on the program webpage for more information. Registration policies differ depending on the program collaborator. 

If you are registered for a  custom  or  corporate program  through your employer or another organization, individual program adjustments will be handled by the responsible contact at your organization. 

Yes, all participants are required to either have health insurance or travelers’ health insurance in order to attend one of our programs. The cost of this insurance, as well as any medical expenses that are not covered by this insurance, is the personal responsibility of each participant.


During the program

Yale University is fortunate to have some of the world’s leading public health experts on its faculty and a dedicated team of health and safety leaders on its staff. Their expertise supplements guidance from the CDC to maintain university policy appropriate to the evolving public health context. Current measures include a robust vaccination and booster program for Yale community members as well as optimization of space configuration, air ventilation and filtration, and cleaning protocols in all Yale buildings in accordance with current CDC guidance.

Masks are optional in most situations, though they may be mandated in specific settings as directed by Yale staff. For individuals who become symptomatic, who are close contacts of an individual who recently tested positive for COVID-19, or who recovered from COVID-19 very recently, masks must be worn during all indoor and outdoor activities; detailed guidance will be provided by Yale staff if this applies to you. Where masks are required, please plan to wear surgical, N95/KN95, or similar masks rather than a cloth mask alone. See Yale’s detailed Mask Guidance for more information.

Yale does not currently require asymptomatic executive education participants to test for COVID-19. Rapid antigen test kits will be available for participant use during the program.

This guidance, along with other university policies that govern executive programs, is subject to change at any time due to the evolving nature of the pandemic. We are grateful for your understanding and cooperation as we continue our best efforts to educate leaders for business and society.

If you feel unwell prior to your arrival, we ask that you stay home.  

If you become ill while on campus, please mask, isolate, and test immediately; rapid antigen test kits will be available upon request during the program.

If you test positive for COVID-19 during your program, you must leave campus immediately and should isolate for at least five days, either in your hotel room or at home (if you can return home without taking public transportation). While Yale SOM Executive Education staff will assist with arrangements where feasible, additional costs (hotel, dining, etc.) incurred due to isolation are not covered by the program and all participants should prepare a personal contingency plan before traveling to campus.


Where can I find updates?

Yale will be posting updates to its COVID-19 Information website.