In this week’s roundup:
The pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccines threw a wrench into many people’s Tuesday mornings, more institutions are being added to the list of those requiring a COVID-19 vaccine and a new study shows that faculty have noticed a major decline in student mental health in the past year.
April 8 – 14
- On Friday, President Biden sent his budget request to the Senate for FY 2022, which includes multiple increases in funding for higher ed.
- The pause on the use and distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine meant that many higher education institutions quickly had to make backup plans and consider the impact of the J&J vaccination pause on progress made so far. Some leaders are claiming to be more afraid of the psychological effects of this “blip” than the actual stopping of vaccines.
- More and more colleges and universities are requiring their students to get the COVID-19 vaccine before coming to campus in the fall, which is becoming an increasingly “politically fraught” choice to make. A survey from Maguire Associates finds that most students and their families are a-okay with the requirements.
- Meanwhile, Cal State universities are encouraging community members to get the vaccine, but not requiring it.
- An extremely important equity concern about vaccinations is making sure that colleges and universities are helping undocumented students get the most up-to-date information and removing as many barriers as possible.
- Florida’s lawmakers have approved a bill which will require the state’s public higher education institutions to survey students on how comfortable they feel on campus, as well as some other provisions.
- DACA recipients continue to watch in reported frustration as the United States’ legislature discusses granting citizenship for “an estimated 2.7 million people who arrived as children or have temporary permission to stay.”
- Transfer enrollment at colleges and universities continues to be an issue for enrollment numbers.
- A new survey finds that faculty members tend to think that student mental health has taken a noticeable decline in the past 12 months.
- Better late than never, the CDC funded the American College Health Association to launch a “Higher Education COVID-19 Community of Practice” to share information and resources about managing COVID-19.
ICYMI: Check out our new podcast, On The Yard, hosted by our VP & Managing Director Ashley Northington. New episodes will be posted every Friday for the next several weeks, so make sure you tune in to hear the latest on HBCU culture and leadership trends from experts in the field.
