Abstract
For 2021, there's only one issue that will matter for higher education: COVID‐19. The pandemic is impacting every aspect of higher education, including technology, curriculum, learning, grades, COVID‐19 testing, campus safety, mental health, enrollment, mergers, closures, layoffs, and fundraising.
I asked a group of educators the main challenges they're facing due to COVID‐19. Here are some of their responses, which may help direct your resources for the coming year.
Kate Williams, Library Director at Life University, wrote, “I think it forced everyone (students and institutions) to recognize how woefully inadequate our technology infrastructures are and how big the digital divide and technological skills are.”
Karen Lee, Clinical Coordinator for the School of Nursing, Clayton State University, said, “The lack of technology is greatest for rural areas. When the college was closed, an administrative assistant had to drive from her home several miles to Starbucks in order to get Wi‐Fi to do her daily work.”
Joe Alexander, Senior Professor of Performance Excellence at the Jack C. Massey College of Business at Belmont University, said, “It's not really turned out to be yes or no to online learning. Some schools have gone all‐in on distance learning, while others dragged their feet and said we are a traditional classroom college only. Overnight, any school that wasn't investing in online technologies was dead in the water. Schools are beginning to pool in the area of online‐centric learning.”
Katheryne Fields, Director of Marketing for Gordon State College, said, “Many fundraisers with traditionally large gatherings had to be canceled or divided into smaller sessions. Some were reworked to include outdoor activities instead of a formal indoor event. I know some schools did online auction fundraisers. Also, some businesses have closed, while others are struggling and unable to sponsor events as they have been in past years.”
Michael Wood is an unemployed educator. He was laid off from Harding University after 19 years. The College of Education lost three people in the collegewide layoffs, which were driven by low enrollments and the pandemic. Regarding his layoff, Wood said, “For 36 years, I've worked in the field of education. My dismissal came at a difficult time in the education calendar. By May, most education jobs are taken. I tried for positions in elementary, middle school, administrative, and higher education. I'm still looking. Not finding a job has messed with my confidence. I feel I'm not good enough anymore for the workforce. Being 59, I'm at the top of the salary schedule; superintendents and deans are trying to save money. It's so frustrating, humbling, and depressing.”
Wood is not alone. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports 224 American colleges and universities have laid off, furloughed, or not renewed contracts because of COVID‐19, affecting more than 50,000 workers.
The president of HU faced dismissal as well. President Bruce McClarty has resigned under pressure from the board of trustees. Chairman Robert Walker stated, “Recent economic and higher education trends have created an extremely challenging business environment that has impacted the institution, leading the board to make a change.” According to The Christian Chronicle, “In recent years enrollment has declined, including a 5.2% dip this fall blamed largely on the COVID‐19 pandemic.”
Enrollment has been impacted at many colleges, but not all have been affected negatively. Ray Perrin, President of Lanier Technical College, wrote, “I think there were many different factors leading to our record enrollment for fall 2020. Although employment levels dropped significantly, the underpinnings of our area's economy remain strong. There will be literally thousands of new job openings in our area over the next few years. Some of our enrollment growth comes from those workers displaced by the effect of [COVID‐19] who are returning to school to develop skills needed to compete for these new high‐tech manufacturing jobs.”
It appears 2021 will be another difficult year for higher education. There are many challenging issues related to the pandemic, but there are select opportunities, too. American colleges and universities have faced challenges in the past; this one is going to change the landscape of higher education forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
Dawn Z. Hodges, Ph.D.
Dawn Z. Hodges, Ph.D., retired from the Technical College System of Georgia. She served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southern Crescent Technical College. You may reach her at dawn.hodges623@gmail.com.