"As colleges pivot, delay or reverse plans for fall instruction, we risk losing sight of what is the greatest potential tragedy for higher education: millions of students have had their learning and path to their degrees disrupted, again. Low-income, first-generation and minority students are hit the hardest. And it’s not a one-and-done for the 2020-21 academic year, either. The consequences of this disruption will be with students, our society and our economy for years ahead, as the ripple effects delay degree completion or lead students to drop out."—Source: Inside Higher Ed
WHY THIS MATTERS:
The cost of disruptions in higher education are particularly high for at-risk students and nontraditional learners. The president of Simmons University makes a passionate plea in this column to center empathy, communicate clearly, and foreground student wellness. We must break through institutional bubbles and think of the larger, long-term effects of pandemic pivots.
