College in the time of coronavirus: Challenges facing American higher education – AEI

Key Points

• COVID-19 presents unique challenges for colleges and universities, constraining their ability to offer core services safely and threatening their financial health.
• Fall plans have begun to crystallize. Most colleges have announced an in-person reopening accompanied by extensive public health safeguards, though most institutions will offer mixes of in-person and online instruction.
• Digital learning will become more ubiquitous out of necessity but will likely not become the preferred option of most undergraduate students. To strengthen remote learning, institutions will have to provide robust student supports virtually, which will require creative thinking and reallocation of resources and staff.
• Forward-thinking institutions will recognize that the pandemic has accelerated preexisting demographic and financial challenges to their model and will translate necessary, short-term modifications in course delivery, student services, academic calendars, and pricing and fee structures into lasting reforms.

Executive Summary

Nearly all colleges and universities moved online in spring 2020 because of COVID-19. The shift upended the routines of students, faculty, and staff alike. Many observers have speculated about the future of American higher education after the pan­demic in light of the fundamental challenge it poses for institutions that were originally designed to bring large groups of people together for teaching, learning, researching, and socializing.

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