Higher Ed COVID-19 Insights

Monday Huron COVID-19 Insights Findings Update December 7, 2020

Huron produces regular Findings Updates summarizing relevant trends and headlines related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on higher education.

Latest Trends and Headlines

Trend Category Trend Summary Today’s Headlines

Universities continue to ▪ In a football season filled with cancellations and postponements, Boston announce, revise, and College is poised to finish without any COVID-19 cases. execute operating plans Re-Opening ▪ Oberlin College has announced that it will delay the start of the spring that were disrupted by the Operations semester to allow for any holiday spread of COVID-19 to be resolved. pandemic. ▪ The University of Michigan plans to begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines as early as December 15, pending authorization.

The pandemic has ▪ Students at Boston University are using social media to emphasize the created unprecedented importance of mask wearing. challenges for students, Student & ▪ Students are suing Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia for spring and in turn, enrollment Enrollment 2020 refunds. risks for many institutions. Impact ▪ Ohio State University has announced that it will offer students up to $3,000 to cover the cost of mental health treatments.

▪ The pause on student loan forbearance, scheduled to end December 31, 2020, has been extended to January 31, 2021.

Universities continue to ▪ The University of Vermont has announced that they will eliminate 27 use cuts, spending programs to address the College of Arts and Sciences budget deficit. freezes, and other means Financial ▪ The University of South Florida Faculty Senate issued a letter to the to address funding gaps Impact Board of Trustees encouraging the pause of all budget-cutting decisions. created by the pandemic. ▪ The University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Arts and Sciences dean said last week that he intends to replace 50 tenured and tenure-track faculty members with 25 instructors.

Universities continue to ▪ Purdue University is joining an initiative to accelerate global collaborative ramp-up research research on COVID-19 through access to high-quality, real-time activities, including multicenter patient datasets. Research activities directly related Impact ▪ Northeastern University scientists received institutional approval to allow to COVID-19 research. campus COVID-19 test participants to permit future COVID-19 research of their submitted samples.

The pandemic’s ▪ Medaille College, in New York, is among several institutions that have cut economic and social tenure due to financials strains brought on by the pandemic. Potential impact could accelerate transformational change Transformation in higher education. to Higher Ed

Universities continue to ▪ No updates for today’s newsletter. address emerging trends while operating through Other Emerging the pandemic.

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Huron COVID-19 Insights Findings Update – December 7, 2020

Trends

Today’s Article Summaries

A. Re-Opening Operations

▪ Boston College is about to finish an entire college football season COVID free. How did they do it? o Boston College is concluding their 11-game season without any COVID-19 cases, joining Syracuse University as the only two ACC teams that have made it through the season without any infections. o A strict mask policy, even during practice, was implemented and is cited as a contributing factor to the successful COVID-free season. o Boston College coach Jeff Hafley also attributes the “great job” the campus has done and an overall team commitment to play the season, with BC players adopting the phrase “FTT, For The Team” to hold one another accountable. o Across college football programs and the National Football League, many teams have experienced COVID-19 infections as well as canceled and rescheduled games. ▪ Spring Semester Delayed Three Weeks as COVID-19 Cases Surge o Oberlin College announced that they will postpone the start of the spring semester from January 7 to February 1. o The delay in the start of the semester is mainly due to the nationwide rise in COVID-19 cases. o The additional time will also allow time for any spread of infections associated with the holiday season to be resolved before students begin returning to campus. ▪ The University of Michigan plans to begin distributing COVID-19 vaccines as early as December 15, pending authorization o On December 4, the University of Michigan announced that it is preparing to begin administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines as early as December 15, pending government authorizations. o Vaccines will be distributed in three phases: − Phase 1 includes health care personnel and long-term care facility residents and staff, essential workers, and adults 65 years or older with high-risk medical conditions, as well as students enrolled in programs who are exposed to patients. − Phases 2 and 3 will be rolled out when larger numbers of the vaccine become available.

B. Student & Enrollment Impact

▪ Students at Boston University use social media to emphasize the importance of wearing masks o Boston University students have created a provocative public health campaign that serves as a reminder to students to make safe choices each day. o On December 2, the creators of this campaign were the only fully student run initiative to present during the CDC’s emergency response webinar, which explored the use of social media at colleges to promote positive health behaviors related to COVID-19. o Hannah Schweitzer, one of the students spear-heading the campaign, says that student-run campaigns are important during the pandemic because students do not trust institutions, stating “they’re going to take everything coming from BU with a grain of salt…but they’re going to take advice from their peers”. ▪ Students sue Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia for Spring 2020 Refunds o Students are suing Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia to demand a refund for a portion of tuition and other fees for those who were forced to take classes online when COVID-19 started in March.

Huron COVID-19 Insights Findings Update – December 7, 2020

o The two class action lawsuits claim that students did not receive the full educational experiences that they had originally paid for. o Many students at the two schools took out loans to cover tuition costs and other fees, some which included approximately $1,000 for transportation and health. o In April, Georgia’s Board of Regents approved a $200 million refund plan for housing and dining costs but Lee Parks, attorney for the plaintiffs, argues students should get full refunds for the other fees as well.

▪ Ohio State University will offer students up to $3,000 to cover the cost of mental health treatments o The pandemic has negatively impacted many across the country and throughout the world, and college students are no exception. o In an attempt to reduce the financial burden of mental health treatment, Ohio State University will provide each student up to $3,000 to cover those costs. o Mental health financial assistance is available for any expenses that have been or will be accrued from March 1 to December 30. o Students from all Ohio State campuses and even those taking only online classes are eligible to apply. o Ohio State’s Student Advocacy Center will approve funding for treatments, including counseling, therapy sessions, medications, transportation to medical appointments, and childcare associated with attending counseling/therapy sessions. ▪ Secretary DeVos Extends Student Loan Forbearance Period Through January 31, 2021, in Response to COVID- 19 National Emergency o With the initial student loan forbearance pause set to end on December 31, 2020, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced on December 4 that the program would be extended through January 31, 2021. o DeVos stated that the extension should allow for congress to “do its job and determine what measures it believes are necessary and appropriate. The Congress, not the Executive Branch, is in charge of student loan policy”.

C. Financial Impact

▪ UVM Announces Plan to Eliminate More Than Two Dozen Academic Programs o The University of Vermont has proposed eliminating 27 programs in the College of Arts and Sciences to address its $8.6 million deficit. o UVM announced that they would eliminate 12 majors, 11 minors, and four master's programs. o In a letter to faculty and staff from Dean Willian Falls, President Suresh Garimella and Provost Prelock directed that the college needed to take immediate action to reduce the deficit by eliminating programs with low enrollment and consolidating departments. o According to the directory, there are 23 professors across the three departments that will be closed. These professors may still teach general education courses and Honors College courses. o In an email, Dean Falls stated that each of the 12 majors had an enrollment of fewer than 25 students or had graduated less than five students over the past three years. o UVM students and faculty have already been pushing back on the announcement, creating petitions to save the proposed eliminated departments and majors. o Provost Prelock stated that students in the eliminated programs will still be able to complete their degrees.

▪ In USF budget dispute, faculty appeals directly to the board of trustees o The USF Faculty Senate issued a six-page letter to the university's board of trustees stating that the administration was moving too fast with budget cuts. o Earlier this year, USF announced a plan to streamline its budget by $93 million over two years, a response to the state system's request for schools to plan for a possible 8.5% budget reduction in the upcoming year. o The Faculty Senate expressed concerns about the lack of transparency and strategic planning throughout the budget cut decision process.

Huron COVID-19 Insights Findings Update – December 7, 2020

o The Senate president stated, "The biggest concern we have is the magnitude of the cuts and the extremely short deadline. We felt we were getting the cart before the horse. Decisions of this magnitude need to be made with a strategic plan." o The letter also noted that the budget cuts could hurt USF's aspirations to rise in the national rankings and gain membership to the Association of American Universities, an elite group of 65 U.S. research universities. o The Faculty Senate has requested a pause in the budget-cutting efforts until the strategy is clear and greater involvement of faculty members in the decision-making process. ▪ ‘Never Waste a Good Pandemic’ o The University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Arts and Sciences dean said last week that he intends to replace 50 tenured and tenure-track faculty members with 25 instructors who will teach more and earn less. o James White, interim dean, said there would be no layoffs and that 60 professors are taking an incentivized retirement as part of the college’s larger cost cutting efforts. o The goal is to rebalance the ratio of tenure-track faculty to instructors, from 3.3 to 1 to 2.8 to 1, with an anticipated savings of $6.2 million annually.

D. Research Impact

▪ Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Seeking to Hasten COVID-19 Insights o The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded Purdue University to create the Records Evaluation for COVID-19 Emergency Research (RECovER) initiative. o Using artificial intelligence and patient datasets from a network of health care institutions, researchers are aiming to understand better and treat COVID-19. o This project is in collaboration with researchers at SUNY Buffalo, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati, and Onai, a company specializing in blockchain/crypto technology.

▪ Your COVID-19 Test Swabs Can Help Researchers at Northeastern o Those partaking in COVID-19 testing at certain Northeastern University facilities can now elect to donate their test swabs for Northeastern researchers’ studies of the virus. o The project is entitled the Northeastern COVID-19 Research Registry and Repository and was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). o Different levels of participation are available for those interested in donating their swabs. Researchers hope this new system could help them better understand the virus and “maximize the safety of the community.”

E. Potential Transformation to Higher Education ▪ Hit by Covid-19, Colleges Do the Unthinkable and Cut Tenure o The president of Medaille College used the COVID-19 as an opportunity to reimagine what the school needed to do to survive not only the pandemic, but how to mitigate the effects of declining enrollment and a small endowment. o The president suspended the faculty handbook, with approval from the Board of Trustees, by invoking an “act of God” clause. o This allowed him to lay off several professors, cut programs, rescind the lifetime job security associated with tenure, and rewrite the faculty handbook.

F. Other Emerging Trends ▪ No updates for today’s newsletter.

Huron COVID-19 Insights Findings Update – December 7, 2020

Recent Huron Articles

Title Author Date

Re-Opening Operations

Data Privacy and Gen Z: A Formula for Voluntary Contact Tracing on Campus Merritt Neale, 08/31/2020 Matthew Tryniecki

Reducing Athletics Programs' Compliance Risks Marisa Zuskar 08/17/2020

COVID Focuses the Spotlight on Academic Programs: There Is Room For Optimism Mike Cogan 08/05/2020

Infographic: Classroom Optimization Lee Smith 08/04/2020

COVID-19 and Hurricane Katrina: Higher Education Parallels and Lessons Learned Christopher Byrne 07/14/2020 & Chris Powers

Aligning Faculty Effort to the New Normal Mike Cogan 07/14/2020

The Flexible Future: Actionable Scenario Planning for Higher Education Leaders Mark Finlan 07/07/2020

Student & Enrollment Impact

Empower Students by Distancing from Traditional Financial Aid Steve Hahn 11/18/2020

Huron Social Alliance: Supporting Institutions that Support Low-Income Students Brenna Casey 11/09/2020

The Virtual Academic ‘Building’ All Students Enter Raghu 11/06/2020 Chagarlamudi, Kristine Dillon, Ben Chrischilles

Pricing Today and Tomorrow Peter Stokes, 09/16/2020 Steve Hahn

Enrollment Success Includes an Integrated Transfer Student Strategy Kristine Dillon, 09/04/2020 Steve Hahn

Test Scores: Optional? Kristine Dillon, 09/01/2020 Steve Hahn, Ben Chrischilles

Fall Is Not Lost: Student Engagement Strategies to Improve 2020 Enrollments Steve Hahn 08/10/2020

The Post-Pandemic Evolution of Student Data Privacy Merritt Neale 08/10/2020 Matthew Tryniecki

Infographic: Tuition Pricing Strategies for the Fall Colin McWilliams 08/26/2020

3 Solutions For Improving The College Application Process Steve Hahn, Laura 08/12/2020 Zimmermann

Huron COVID-19 Insights Findings Update – December 7, 2020

Financial Impact

Adapt University Budget Models to Provide Stronger Financial Future Jaime Ontiveros, 11/18/2020 Kyle Blanco

Manage Compliance and Financial Risks in Times of Change Laura Humberger 11/05/2020

Closing the Gap Mike Cogan, Peter 11/04/2020 Hart

Strategic Higher Education M&A: Assessing Institutional Readiness Robert Spencer 09/11/2020

Thinking Different about Strategic Alliances in Higher Education Robert Spencer 08/25/2020

Major & Minor Cuts: Academic Program Eliminations in the Age of COVID-19 Jeremy Wolos 07/31/2020

Infographic: Impacts on Intercollegiate Athletics Jay Rowan 07/10/2020

Cut from the Team: Athletics Program Eliminations in the Age of COVID-19 Clare Conaty 07/09/2020

Avoiding the Path to Closure Jennifer Ramey 11/18/2020

Research Impact

Managing Research Compliance through COVID-19 Huron Res. Team 10/26/2020

Research Enterprise Impacts and Opportunities Huron Res. Team 09/01/2020

Getting Back to Work: Ramping Up Your Research Programs During a Pandemic Rick Rohrbach 06/11/2020

Potential Transformation to Higher Education

Why Cloud? Why Now?: Data-Driven Financial Reporting for Higher Ed Jaime Ontiveros, 11/09/2020 Mike Champa, Dave Klipa

Unifying the Higher Ed Experience: Key Considerations for Advancement Alex Faklis 11/05/2020 Technology Transformation

Why Cloud, Why Now? Continuing the Higher Education Cloud Journey Ryan McHugh 10/27/2020

Why Cloud? Why Now? Disruption Puts Spotlight on Data and Systems Ted Simpson 09/03/2020

The Value Proposition of Joint Ventures in Employer-Supported Strategic Education Peter Stokes, 08/07/2020 – Creating Opportunities for Working Adults Jonathan Krasnov

Empowering Agile Decision Making in Higher Education Mark Finlan 07/01/2020

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mark Finlan Managing Director [email protected] Jeff Leinbach Manager [email protected]