(Updated November, 2020)
This resource guide provides informative and thoughtful articles about the current and future state of higher education as a result of the COVID-19 disruption. Here’s what we’re reading. We will continue to keep it updated with selected material. We trust you will find useful data and insights. (Some of these may require a subscription. If you cannot access them, please contact us for assistance.)
Reopening:
Chronicle of Higher Education (numerous articles – here are key ones to date):
Reopening plans – The Chronicle is tracking more than 1,200 colleges serving primarily undergraduates and not including those that were already 100% online; it includes searchable tracking table to find institutions by name – here is the status of July 31. In the last 10 days, the number of “in-person” institutions has declined noticeably while the “hybrid” model and online have increased. https://bit.ly/2DkQoxa
- Fully in-person (2.5%), primarily in person (21%) on July 31 versus planning for in-person – 53% (July 20)
- Hybrid (16%) versus proposing a hybrid model (defined as mix of online, in-person, hybrid or blending learning) – 32% (July 20)
- Primarily online (24%), fully online (3.8%) on July 31 versus planning for online – 10% (July 20)
- TBD (27%) versus considering a range of scenarios – 3.5% and waiting to decide – 1.2% (July 20)
Other relevant topics in the Chronicle’s articles:
“The Great Reopening Debate” (Professors, administrators, students and staff on the most consequential question facing the sector, June 18, 2020) – https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Great-Reopening-Debate/249014
“Working While Parenting is a Covid-19 Reality. One University Tried to Forbid It” – https://www.chronicle.com/article/Working-While-Parenting-Is-a/249107?cid=wcontentgrid_article_bottom
“What if Colleges Designed Gap Years? This Year, Especially, They Should” (June 24, 2020) – https://www.chronicle.com/article/What-if-Colleges-Designed-Gap/249041
“How Closely Should Students Be Spaced? At one campus [UNC-Chapel Hill], 3 feet quickly becomes 6” (July 1, 2020) – https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-Closely-Should-Students-Be/249104?cid=wcontentlist_hp_latest
Other publications on Fall Reopening Plans:
“Why campus de-densification is a complicated set of decisions at the core of university re-opening plans” (Education Advisory Board, July 9, 2020) – https://bit.ly/33eSf1h
“UNC campuses must submit plans for 50% budget cuts as COVID-19 worst case scenario,” The News&Observer (Raleigh, NC), July 18, 2020 – https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article244321897.html
“Covid-19 and US Higher Education enrollment: Preparing leaders for fall” (McKinsey & Company, May 21, 2020) – https://mck.co/3jj5wfb
“Colleges Face Rising Revolt by Professors (New York Times, July 3, 2020)” – https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/03/us/coronavirus-college-professors.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
“Yale invites students back to campus for fall semester (a detailed list of plans from Yale University leadership)” – https://news.yale.edu/2020/07/01/yale-invites-students-back-campus-fall-semester [private elite institution]
“UNC Chapel Hill website ‘Roadmap for Fall 2020 – Carolina Together’” – https://carolinatogether.unc.edu/
“Public land-grant universities Campus Reopening Plans (APLU)” – https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/communications-resources/coronavirus/campus-reopening-plans.html
- The APLU (Association of Public Landgrant Universities) also has a Covid-19 Resources website: https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/communications-resources/coronavirus/index.html
“Home by Thanksgiving: An emerging strategy to reopen college campuses in the fall, Washington Post,” May 29, 2020 –https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/colleges-reopening-fall-thanksgiving/2020/05/29/a308afde-a0e3-11ea-9590-1858a893bd59_story.html
“Masks required and fewer parties (allegedly): What college will look like this fall, Washington Post,” June 11, 2020 – https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/college-coronavirus-fall-campus-open/2020/06/10/f1537346-ab19-11ea-94d2-d7bc43b26bf9_story.html
“Cornell’s epidemiological modeling for bringing students back in the fall” (50 pages) – https://people.orie.cornell.edu/pfrazier/COVID_19_Modeling_Jun15.pdf
Fundraising and Institutional Finances
“The pace of Boomer Retirements has accelerated in the past year,” Pew Research, Nov. 9, 2020
Higher Education Trends – General
“New International Enrollments Fall 43%,” Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 16, 2020
“Colleges Face a No-Win Dilemma: To Cut or Not Cut Tuition?” Chronicle of Higher ed, July 13, 2020 – https://bit.ly/3hcVVo6
“Survey Warns of ‘Dramatic Decline’ in Fundraising,” Inside Higher Ed, June 8, 2020 [EAB study] – https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/06/08/survey-forecasts-%E2%80%98dramatic-decline%E2%80%99-fundraising-pandemic
“Forcing Radical Change. How COVID-19 Could Reshape Higher Ed Philanthropy,” Inside Philanthropy, May 4 – https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2020/5/4/forcing-radical-change-how-covid-19-could-reshape-higher-ed-philanthropy
“Colleges Lower the Boom on Retirement Plans,” Inside Higher Ed, May 21, 2020 –https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/21/more-institutions-are-suspending-or-cutting-retirement-plan-contributions
“A Transformative Moment for Philanthropy,” McKinsey, May 21, 2020 (general, not higher ed specific) – https://mck.co/2BgrNZP
Long-Term: 2021 and Beyond
“Developing the Future Workforce: Revitalizing Postsecondary Education and Training after COVID-19, The Public Policy Center of The Conference Board – https://bit.ly/3gmmVS8
“Can Higher Ed Survive the Pandemic?” By Dan Baer, Democracy Journal, June 2, 2020 – https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/06/02/can-higher-ed-survive-pandemic-pub-82033
“Presidents’ Growing Worry? Perceived Value of College, Inside Higher Education survey,” June 29, 2020 – https://bit.ly/2WDNgDA
“Covid-19 Impact on higher education: confronting financial challenges facing colleges and universities,” Deloitte (cash flow, debt, institutional endowments, scenario planning, conclusion) – https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/public-sector/articles/covid-19-impact-on-higher-education.html
“A Post-Pandemic Strategy for US Higher Ed,” Harvard Business Review, June 2, 2020 – https://hbr.org/2020/06/a-post-pandemic-strategy-for-u-s-higher-ed
“Here’s a Look at the Impact of Covid-19 on Colleges and Universities in the US,” Forbes, April 30, 2020 – https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewdepietro/2020/04/30/impact-coronavirus-covid-19-colleges-universities/#4ceb1be761a6
“Rethinking the Pennsylvania State System,” Inside Higher Ed, July 17, 2020 – https://bit.ly/2BfMULI
“Will the coronavirus transform or destroy higher education as we know it?” – New book from Georgetown U. expert is filled with great ideas for change, but even with reforms the poor may fall further behind – The Merit Myth (how higher education remains ever more segregated by class and race), Hechinger Report, May 26, 2020 – https://bit.ly/3eSmbTq
