Finding a path forward for higher education is critical
In these days of onerous health and economic crises, we are focused, primarily, on short-term solutions and relief. An unprecedented and gargantuan effort by researchers and scientists to produce viable vaccines is bearing fruit. The economy teeters on the edge, as does our patience, as hundreds of thousands of new cases of COVID-19 are diagnosed daily in the country that, supposedly, had “rounded the corner” months ago. Sadly, we have close to 17 million confirmed cases and are have well over 300,000 deaths nationally with close to 3,000 dying daily—a jump of 60 percent in the last two weeks as I write this. Connecticut has a positive test rate of 6.6 percent. The governor is concerned those numbers will be much higher if we all don’t take care over the coming holidays.
Like everyone else, many of our public and private education institutions are struggling. Students and educators are fighting for a foothold, looking for some semblance of consistency, quality, safety and continuity as the virus rages around us. This has required reinventing how we deliver much of our educational experience, including extensive new safety measures, with significant cleaning procedures, advanced filtering, social distancing, mandatory face-coverings and behavioral changes. Simultaneously, our health care systems and resources are approaching capacity, and exhausted health care and essential workers are constantly at risk.
Yet we have all done our best to soldier on, with reluctant acceptance and cautious optimism.
As we anxiously await the dissemination of vaccines, it is critical that we embrace foundational systems like education that are fundamental to our current and future economic, physical and emotional health.
As people question the wisdom of reopening our classrooms, consider the state we would be in without researchers, scientists, nurses, doctors, respiratory and physical therapists. Add engineers, economists, educators, manufacturing, technology and business leaders to the mix, and try to envision facing the pandemic in a world devoid of these professionals.
Without a robust education system, we never could have produced the many talented scientists, immunologists, medical professionals and health care technicians vital to our recovery. Without a doubt, students and teachers have struggled
mightily since early this year, and there is no question that achievement gaps have widened for many children from prekindergarten to grade 12, particularly those in inner-city communities and poorer rural districts. From an educational perspective, this virus is taking a tremendous toll on our youth, our growth and, without determined interventions, our future.
At universities and colleges across America, the race to retool has been extraordinary. Working in tandem, educators, administrators and students slipped quickly into a new world of virtual learning curricula, methodology and interactions. We have reconfigured our daily lives around education and safety requirements, navigating treacherous waters that require mutual levels of trust, maturity and acceptance.
On a recent Monday night, we held a virtual open house that attracted more
than 1,250 visitors. Faculty and students have managed through and have become more comfortable with virtual learning. Unfortunately, this progress also has come at a cost to athletics, theater programs, exhibits, and larger social and educational gatherings. While frustrating, these are small prices to pay.
It is impossible to quantify the fiscal and emotional costs to families and communities. Measurable institutional costs have been significant as well, including training, testing, contact tracing, cleaning, materials such as gloves, masks and PPEs, signage, advanced filtering, technology enhancements, meal and health services and special programming needs. Throughout, we have viewed this from a macro, not a micro, perspective: These inconveniences are temporary, and barriers teach us new ways of learning and working while strengthening our abilities to adapt and
evolve.
The pandemic has shone a light on adjustments we have made that should and will become part of our new reality. These include our search for enhanced teaching techniques, improved online tools and outreach and methods to ensure that everyone has access to quality, affordable education no matter the challenges.
It would be more than shortsighted for state and federal governments not to invest heavily in higher education. The next generation of scientists, health care workers, teachers, innovators and business leaders are in college now or will be in coming years. The cost of ignorance is unaffordable. Our country’s future depends on our ability to educate our current students and those who come behind them.