In this week’s roundup:
Yeesh, it was something, wasn’t it? The Capitol riots occured on December 37, 2020, some states began vaccinating non-healthcare workers and the “Fauci effect” may have something to do with the growing demand for health/medical education.
Stay tuned next week as we hold our breath that 2021 merely saw its shadow and is now stepping out into the sun for real.
January 7 - 13
- In the wake of the attacks on the U.S. Capitol last week, higher ed leaders worked to balance protecting free speech rights while confronting dangerous language meant to incite violence.
- Humanities scholars say that education is at the heart of understanding what went wrong in Washington last week.
- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos left office Friday with a controversial legacy likely to be undone by the Biden administration.
- The NCAA will delay a landmark vote on legislation that would allow compensation for college athletes, following a warning from the Department of Justice about potential antitrust violations.
- A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that counties with large colleges that opened for in-person instruction saw a 56% increase in COVID-19 cases. Counties with large colleges who operated primarily online saw their case rates fall by 18%.
- Thousands of administrators and graduate students at elite research hospitals have been immunized against the coronavirus, contrary to state and federal guidelines.
- Some states are beginning to administer the vaccine to non-healthcare college and university workers, like instructors who teach in-person.
- The University of San Diego launched the winter academic term with newly installed vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself COVID-19 tests for students.
- “On day one,” President-Elect Joe Biden will direct the Education Department to extend the existing pause on loan payments and interest for federal student loans. This pandemic relief was set to expire January 31.
- The admissions picture looks good for colleges with money and prestige, but colleges who primarily serve low-income students are not doing well.
- There’s a growing demand for health and medical education, perhaps because of a “Fauci effect” but more likely due to a lack of gap year opportunities, more time to apply and greater flexibility offered by colleges.
- In reaction to a nationwide shortage of nurses, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is “introducing a bill that would give the state’s licensed nurses and nursing candidates priority admission to its public colleges.”
ICYMI: Check out our newly launched series The Roundup: HBCU Edition for a look at how HBCUs and MSIs fared throughout 2020 (hint: it was better than you might think, given the disaster that was 2020).
