With the summer term in progress and fall quickly
approaching, college and university leaders are increasingly focused on
planning for the start of the 2020-21 academic year. Earlier this month, ACE
launched its third
monthly Pulse Point survey of college and university presidents, continuing
to gather presidents' insights and experiences with COVID-19 and its effects on
their institutions and the larger higher education landscape.
As in the previous month's survey, fall enrollment was top
of mind for most presidents (65 percent), and the next most pressing issue
presidents chose was “deciding on fall term plans” (46 percent), followed by
“long-term financial viability of the institution” (39 percent), “mental health
of students” (33 percent), and “furloughing or reducing salaries for faculty
and/or staff” (31 percent). Compared with the May survey, fewer presidents in
June selected “furloughing or reducing salaries for faculty and/or staff” and
“laying off faculty and/or staff.”
Relative to the results of the May Pulse Point survey, the
June survey results suggest that fewer presidents are expecting their
institution’s fall 2020 enrollment to decrease. Presidents at public two-year
institutions (60 percent) and public four-year institutions (55 percent) were
more likely to report expecting their institution’s fall enrollment to decrease
than presidents at private four-year institutions (47 percent).
New for this month’s survey, presidents were asked about
their campus-based advisory structures and fall 2020 planning. Specifically, they
answered whether they have been adjusting by creating new advisory groups
(e.g., special committees, taskforces) or whether existing campus advisory
structures were sufficient in supporting fall 2020 planning. The vast majority
(84 percent) of presidents reported that they had created new advisory groups
to support planning efforts for the fall 2020 term. Only 16 percent of
presidents reported that their institution was relying on existing advisory
structures.
Presidents also answered questions about the various
scenarios they were considering for the fall. Most respondents (76 percent)
said they were considering a hybrid, or split, model with some virtual courses
and some in-person courses. Nearly 1/4 (23 percent) of presidents indicated
that their institution was developing a plan for fall 2020 to be “normal” or
similar to fall 2019 with new safety protocols. Sixty-three percent of
presidents indicated that their institution is developing more than one
scenario plan for the fall.
Three hundred presidents responded (310 responded to the May
survey) on topics including summer and fall enrollment projections, contingency
plans for the fall term, communication strategies, and student support. Given
the uncertainties related to the pandemic, presidents’ views will almost
certainly continue to evolve. Click
here to see the full summary of findings for this month and previous
surveys.