With so many daily challenges arising during the current crises, for the second discussion in our higher education series, YI convened a group of visionary leaders to look at how colleges and universities may change permanently, and possibly for the good, even beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. As Dr. Scott Cowen, President Emeritus of Tulane University, noted, times of crisis push leaders to think about their mission and values in a new context. Our present circumstances call on us to honestly confront the crises many students pursuing higher education faced before the pandemic and commit to a more equitable approach in the future.
The full discussion is posted to YI’s YouTube page, but some of the most important takeaways from our panelists include:
College leaders must put the needs of their most vulnerable students first. Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis–then Secretary of Higher Education for the State of New Jersey and now Chief Policy Officer to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy–shared her belief that going forward, higher education simply can’t operate in a way that continues to best serve students from privileged backgrounds, to the detriment of students pursuing degrees through systems and in the face of policies that put up barriers to their success.
Leaders must be prepared for the long-term effects of the current crisis. Long after the floodwaters that swept across New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina receded, Dr. Scott Cowen faced a series of difficult decisions about the future of Tulane University. He encouraged college leaders to “get on the balcony” and survey their institutions–to take this moment to assess where opportunities may be to improve their operations and how they serve their students. How might this be a moment to put in place policies and practices that better support the success of all students, and particularly those students who have been marginalized by old ways of doing things? The legacy of the current pandemic and financial crisis will linger for years ahead; they must be met with long-term solutions.
The times demand improved online learning. Without the prospect of a Covid-19 vaccine or widespread treatment this fall, Dr. Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas, has been an outspoken critic of the push to reopen campuses. In a time when young people live out so much of their lives online—from ordering food to dating—the top priority of protecting well-being compels colleges to get better at offering courses online. Residential college campuses, according to President Sorrell, are ideal environments to spread the virus. In this time, therefore, the college leader’s first job is to address the fears and uncertainty of the moment while helping to address their basic needs and take action to adapt.
Policy responses to data are inadequate to meet students’ real needs. Congress passed the CARES Act in March as an emergency response measure. The time since has shown, as many advocates contended at the time, even this unprecedented measure has been insufficient to meet the needs of today’s students. David Bagby, Deputy Chief of Staff to Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-2), shared his view that needs like food, housing, and child care will continue to weigh on the financial and emotional health of young people—congressional action is needed to invest in the future of young people and, by extension, the nation.
To enact the kind of measures the future of young people require, Members of Congress need to hear from their constituents. The House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act to provide direct assistance to people in need, including a start toward large-scale debt cancellation. The Senate has a responsibility to rise to the moment, and Mr. Bagby’s comments encourage young people to meet the call to demand senators act on that responsibility.
Higher education’s next era must be an equity era. Higher education’s history in many ways is one of perpetuating social inequity by design. But the future of higher education can be a different story. Dr. Cowen noted the slow progress in higher education toward becoming a more equitable version of itself.
But President Sorrell spoke plainly: “I don’t think we as a society care that much about equity. If we cared about it, we would do something about it.” As generations become increasingly diverse, higher education must make systemic changes to meet student needs. As recent demonstrations and youth-led movements show, young people will demand change. Higher education has fundamentally altered its operations in a remarkably short period of time because of a health crisis. Whether it can sustain a commitment to change and overcome the crisis of systemic racism and social inequity remains to be seen.
