BY A. LEE FRITSCHLER AND RICHARD D. LEGON
HIGHER EDUCATION AND ITS LEADERSHIP are being forced by events to address a once in every 100-year crisis. It is one that touches upon almost every aspect (and risk) of the operations and reputation of our nation's colleges and universities. Thus far, the pandemic of 2020 has uprooted the operations of most institutions of higher education; business as usual disappeared almost overnight. And we surmise that it is only the beginning. Enrollment, revenue/expenses, the value proposition, teaching, and research have all been challenged and these challenges will continue to frame higher education over the next decade at least. The social and racial justice initiatives that emerged following years of racism and abusive policing policies across the country will also continue to impact the nation's colleges and universities. The virus has forced substantial adjustments to higher education's traditional model. A new model will dominate consideration by higher education institution leadership. The changes are likely to be more than anything seen since the GI Bill of the 1940s or the Higher Education Act of the mid-1960s.
Enrollment, revenue/expenses, the value proposition, teaching, and research have all been challenged and these challenges will continue to frame higher education over the next decade at least. The social and racial justice initiatives that emerged following years of racism and abusive policing policies across the country will also continue to impact the nation's colleges and universities. The virus has forced substantial adjustments to higher education's traditional model. A new model will dominate consideration by higher education institution leadership. The changes are likely to be more than anything seen since the GI Bill of the 1940s or the Higher Education Act of the mid-1960s.
Higher education institutions will need to act boldly, while ensuring their autonomy, as they address the most effective approaches to navigate a future with many unknowns. With nearly 40 percent of enrolled students deciding to rethink their education plans for the fall 2020 semester, and students whose primary option is to learn virtually perhaps choosing to alter their academic plans going forward, the challenges are substantial. Building sound institutional responses will require careful thought, risk taking, and sound leadership in order to reset the higher education sector. The impact of these factors on the work of college and university administrative leadership, governing boards, and faculty will be transformational in ways that most institutions have not yet fully anticipated.
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