The Radical Adjustment Of Higher Education

Students, classrooms and instructors have persisted as key components of the U.S. higher education system since its first colleges opened in the 17th century. Despite major societal changes in the past four hundred years, the vast majority of postsecondary students began 2020 in traditional classrooms. Just three months later almost every institution of higher education (IHE) was forced to shift the delivery method of their instruction—some in less than a week—with varying degrees of success and failure. 

Almost 25 million students had to pivot in that moment. Housing accommodations away from campus, with a decent broadband internet connection, became a necessity overnight. As higher education administrators announce fall 2020 plans and students are faced with complex decisions mired in uncertainties, the question remains: What will the higher education system become, and whom will it serve? 

A Dashboard to Track Covid-19’s Impact on Higher Ed 

As an academic center housed on the University of Utah campus, we witnessed from the inside how quickly universities were forced to respond to the pandemic. We also heard from our students how disorienting the past few months have been.

Our team of data scientists and policy researchers quickly understood that the usual data used by university administrators and policymakers can be too slow to enable agile decision making during the pandemic. As of late June, for instance, the website of the National Center for Education Statistics still does not mention Covid-19 on its homepage.  

We have set out to compile the largest single data set on the impact of Covid-19 on higher education: the MAPS Dashboard (Model, Analyze, Prototype, Share).  

Our mission is simple: to help build a higher education system that is more equitable in access and outcomes. We call on policymakers, administrators, data scientists, researchers and students to examine and improve this open-source dashboard. Consider this an invitation to collaborate on data sharing, gathering, and analyses.  

The MAPS Dashboard is the beginning of a larger project to track how the pandemic is impacting state policies, institutional impact and—most critically—student outcomes. The dashboard is central to the MAPS Project, a higher education initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Students Need Flexibility

The MAPS Dashboard examines the results of over 50 student surveys from across the nation. These data support the conclusion that students need more flexibility and support from their colleges and universities, especially students who are Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, students with disabilities, or students experiencing financial instability. 

IHEs are being asked to make decisions with speed and agility. These decisions should be grounded in data that drives toward equitable access and outcomes for all students. History suggests that not all decisions will impact students equally. 

For elite private colleges, flexibility for students has not been a central feature in crafting post-pandemic policies. For example, Harvard Law School recently announced that all of their classes will be online next year and encouraged their students to rent office space in order to attend virtual lectures. This decision and messaging privileges a certain type of Harvard Law student: one with reliable housing, internet access, and the resources to obtain a quiet space to study. Meanwhile, Harvard Law’s tuition remains the same and, as of June 22, students can no longer seek deferral or leave.

Community colleges are designed to provide flexibility, and it’s shown in their response to the pandemic. Modesto Junior College has expanded its food bank program and has received a $700,000 grant to help students experiencing housing insecurity. 

The drastic differences in how colleges and universities prioritize their student populations will shape who in our country ends up with the privileges associated with higher education. 

Public IHEs Face Budget Declines

Public colleges and universities have a unique mission to serve the students in their communities. These institutions receive, on average, 33% of their revenue from state appropriations, grants, and tuition subsidies.1 With the pandemic placing pressure on state revenues, the MAPS Dashboard suggests that 42 out of 50 states could cut their higher education budgets in 2021.

These budget cuts will impact community colleges and public four-year IHEs, all of which serve more diverse students than private colleges. It will also impact many towns and cities across the nation that rely on their IHEs as economic anchors—supporting local businesses, creating jobs and equipping the workforce.

Fall 2020 Requires Agility 

Going into Fall 2020, many IHEs are implementing what has only ever been accomplished on a smaller scale: blending in-person and online classes, going online completely, and creating bespoke, hybrid delivery methods. IHEs are being asked to provide testing and contact tracing on campuses and are lobbying the federal government to limit their transmission liability. Each institution is reacting to a complex set of financial and health-related risks and uncertainties, including the possibility of closure if they don’t figure out the best response. 

As IHEs make these decisions, the lives of 25 million students will be impacted. Many students have signaled their intention to return or go to colleges and universities in the fall. An Axios survey found that over two-thirds of students want to return to campus in the fall even if there is no vaccine. Another survey showed that high school seniors who are minorities are statistically significantly more likely to defer if campus is open. And students who are Black or multiracial are more likely than students of other races to identify immediate financial burdens as extremely challenging.

The question is no longer will students come back to college, but rather, who will come back? And even more importantly, who won’t be coming back, and who won’t end up at college at all? 

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