Tag: COVID-19: Page 4

Leadership & Policy

The Rich Get Richer in the Midst of a Pandemic

In order to stay above water, institutions are making drastic decisions – implementing hiring freezes and pay cuts, trimming personnel via furloughs and layoffs, and leaving several employees without cost-of-living adjustments for the foreseeable future. Yet, in the midst of these decisions, I can’t help but notice how certain individuals seem to avoid economic losses – or take only minimal losses to save face.

December 17, 2020

Students

Doubling the Pell Grant to Promote Access to Opportunity, Higher Ed

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ victory signals a crucial moment for enhanced access to higher education that could, given their commitment to “Doubling the Pell Grant,” promote a success model as well. One of the points to be emphasized is that the goal of college access has force and plausibility as an aim of social policy only insofar as colleges and universities function as effective means for delivering what they promise to deliver. And, while education has a number of legitimate goals, among the most central are promoting cognitive and socio-emotional development, allowing students to attain general knowledge and skills, and helping students become desirable from the perspective of employers. For the latter, they must graduate. What follows from these considerations, then, is that whatever form access strategies assume, college campuses need to adopt corresponding strategies that meet the needs of the students they choose to enroll.

December 15, 2020

COVID-19

U of Minnesota Might Borrow $82M to Cover COVID-19 Budget Deficit

Projecting a $166 million budget deficit brought on by COVID-19, The University of Minnesota might borrow as much as $82 million to cover lost athletic and housing revenue, reports the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. University administrators pitched the proposal to the Board of Regents on Thursday, and the regents plan to vote on the proposal […]

December 11, 2020

Community Colleges

How Two-Year Colleges Can Mitigate Student Enrollment Declines

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the higher education sector, concerns arise around enrollment rates. More specifically, at community colleges.  This fall, the freshman enrollment rate declined by 18.9% at community colleges. The largest declines were seen among Native American males and Black males at 20.1% and 19.2%, respectively, according to the National Student […]

December 11, 2020

Latest News

Webinar Analyzes Prior-Learning Assessments’ Impact on Adult Student Outcomes

Using first-hand accounts of student experiences and input from higher education leaders, Lumina Foundation’s webinar Dec. 10 discussed the impact of prior-learning assessments (PLA) on adult student outcomes.

December 10, 2020

Sports

Financial Impact of COVID-19 Dominates Intercollegiate Athletics Forum

As leaders in intercollegiate athletics convened virtually at the annual Intercollegiate Athletics Forum (IAF), the discussions centered on how college sports have navigated this unprecedented year.

December 8, 2020

Community Colleges

Report: College Completion Rates See Marginal Increase

National six-year college completion rates has increased by 0.3% to reach 60.1%, the smallest growth rate within the last five years, according to a new report released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC).

December 5, 2020

Students

Department of Education Extends Student Loan Suspensions Through End of January 2021

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said that federal student loan repayment forbearance, including suspension of interest accrual and collections activity has been extended through January 31, 2021. DeVos made the announcement on Friday. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, borrowers haven’t had to make payment since March. But the relief was slated to expire on […]

December 4, 2020

Disabilties

UNH Focuses on Making Higher Ed Accessible to Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

With a $2.5 million grant from the United States Department of Education-Office of Postsecondary, the University of New Hampshire is breaking down educational barriers for young adults with intellectual disabilities.

December 3, 2020

COVID-19

Experts Say Higher Ed Leaders Should Avoid Playing a ‘Numbers Game’ With COVID-19

The response to COVID-19 has been mixed this fall. Some campuses, like the Atlanta University Center institutions in Georgia and the entire California State University system, pulled back in-person instruction and moved totally online. Others moved forward with in-person instruction but found themselves having to scale back amenities and implement social distancing protocols on campus.

November 30, 2020

Faculty & Staff

Extend the Tenure Clock to Save Careers of Rising Academic Women

The halls of higher education already had a leaky pipeline for women in science and academia, but the coronavirus pandemic has taken an ax to the problem and busted it wide open.

November 30, 2020

Sports

While Some Sports Remain in Limbo, FBS Football is in Play and D-I Basketball Revs up for Action

The 2019-20 intercollegiate athletics season ended abruptly when student-athletes were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and coaches were left wondering what would happen to their programs. Even though schools eventually decided to either cancel fall sports or postpone them until the spring, student-athletes were still welcomed back to campuses so they could resume organized training this fall.

November 30, 2020