In this week’s roundup:
What President Trump’s Supreme Court nomination could mean for higher education, Appalachian State University confirmed their first student death and the financial effects of the pandemic have been worse than originally predicted for higher education institutions.
Stay tuned for our weekly roundup on what trends we're seeing across institutions, how individual colleges and universities are responding to them and what national policy changes are affecting higher ed.
Week of September 23 - 30
- Appalachian State University confirmed their first student death due to complications from COVID-19 on September 29. A sophomore, he was one of the first undergraduates in the country to die since some institutions returned to in-person instruction this fall.
- President Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat. Here’s what it could mean for higher education.
- Students at universities across the country are filing class action lawsuits against their respective institutions, arguing that they were not given what they paid for.
- To best reach students, colleges and universities are utilizing their own student influencers to bring attention to COVID-19 safety precautions and expectations.
- After the first few weeks of having students back on campus, a few mitigation strategies and outside factors appear to have created a return with fewer COVID-19 cases at some institutions. Health and public policy experts are earmarking the strategies that worked for this semester, urging for overall comprehensive strategies.
- To combat some of the turmoil experienced by international students this year, liberal arts colleges and universities have ramped up their efforts to help them — including the many who are studying from home.
- A recent study by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education looked at student perceptions of their ability to comfortably voice an opinion in opposition to the majority opinion on campus. The study also looked at other concerns about how supportive campuses are of free speech. Rankings for 55 colleges and universities were developed based on the findings.
- Increase in demand for student aid and new COVID-19 detection and treatment measures have made the financial implications of the pandemic worse than initially predicted for higher education institutions.
- A survey by TheDream.US found that 70% of Dreamers are “more” or “much more” anxious about their legal status since the start of the pandemic. Conducted before the Supreme Court blocked President Trump from ending the DACA program, the survey found that the pandemic has also taken a significant toll on Dreamers’ financial standing.
- Over 50 doctoral programs have halted their admissions for fall 2021 due to the pandemic and ensuing financial implications. Instead, they plan to focus attention and funding on their current graduate students.
- Leaders from more than 80 colleges and universities signed a letter defending Princeton University and encouraging the Department of Education to cease their investigation of Princeton's statement acknowledging their history of racism.
