The results of ACE’s fourth Pulse Point survey of college
and university presidents show that many leaders are continuing to take steps
to support safe operations on their campuses while still making plans as to how
to best provide instruction amidst uncertainty.
Topics addressed in this survey include summer enrollment
numbers, fall enrollment expectations, fall instruction modality, balancing
in-person, online, and hybrid course offerings, as well as student mental
health, and a deeper look at lessons learned from state reopenings. For this
survey, 270 presidents participated.
It is important to note that this survey captures what
presidents were thinking in early July—given the uncertainties related to the
pandemic, views will certainly continue to evolve.
“Safety protocols for the fall related to COVID-19” was
the most pressing issue facing presidents (66 percent). The next most pressing
issue was “fall enrollment” (56 percent), followed by “mental health of students”
(39 percent), and “long-term financial viability of the institution” (38
percent).
With the start of fall 2020 still approaching, it remains
difficult to estimate just what effect the pandemic will have on fall
enrollment for many colleges and universities. In the July survey, 52 percent
of presidents reported expecting their fall 2020 enrollment to be lower than
their fall 2019 enrollment. About one-third (32 percent) reported expecting
their fall 2020 enrollment to be about the same as last year, and only 16
percent expect a fall enrollment increase over last year.
Aside from fall enrollment and safety protocols, student
mental health is clearly top of mind for most leaders. The survey found that an
overwhelming majority of presidents (96 percent) indicated that they “strongly
agreed” or “somewhat agreed” that the need for student mental health services
and support will be greater this fall, relative to last fall. Open-ended responses
to the survey also focused on what strategies presidents say they are
implementing in anticipation of this increased need. The most popular was
virtual therapy and telehealth followed by increased staffing, and training for
staff.
Click
here to see a full summary of the findings and also check out previous
month’s summaries here.