College Tuition Changes Amid COVID-19
COVID-19 is impacting the bottom line of every higher education institution, especially when it comes to fall 2020 tuition rates. This disruption to the financial “norm” of higher education comes at a time when college is becoming increasingly unaffordable. Therefore, Forbes predicted in a June 2, 2020, article that “tuition costs could climb at a faster rate to compensate” for losses in major revenue streams.
New York University’s (NYU) decision to raise undergraduate tuition by 2.95 percent is an example of Forbes’ prediction. John Beckman, a university spokesperson, told Washington Square News, “Although this is a challenging time owing to COVID-19 and other issues, there is an ongoing need to invest in academic quality, student wellness … and financial aid.” Yet, many students feel this explanation is tone-deaf to the unprecedented rates of unemployment and the daily struggles of COVID-19. “Raising tuition during a pandemic and a period of extreme social-civil unrest is more than rubbing salt in the wound,” said Jen Curran, a rising NYU senior, to Washington Square News.
Kat Cohen, founder and CEO of IvyWise, an independent educational consulting firm based in New York City, told Forbes that top schools with large endowments have the deep pockets to weather the storm while smaller colleges that were already in financial turmoil will struggle to stay afloat.
Williams College, the wealthiest liberal arts college in the United States, not only stands to survive the storm but also leads by example when it comes to adjusting tuition during the pandemic. Williams’ website states, “In recognition of the extraordinary circumstances and of this academic year and the uncertainty we face in the year ahead, the total cost of attendance has been reduced by 15 percent.” Lucie Lapovsky, president emeritus of Mercy College, told Inside Higher Ed, “students at other schools can use this as a pressure point to say that we should reduce what we’re paying because we’re not getting the same experience.”
Freezing tuition rates for the upcoming school year is a middle ground several institutions are taking. On June 16, 2020, the Rutgers University Board of Governors approved a 2020–2021 tuition and fee freeze for undergraduates. This decision aims to provide students and families with an “affordable Rutgers education during this unprecedented crisis,” said Mark Angelson, chair of the Board of Governors in a press release. Old Dominion University (ODU) quickly followed suit. In a June 23, 2020, letter to ODU community, President John R. Broderick stated that the Board of Visitors voted to freeze 2020–2021 tuition “to help ease the financial burden many families are facing.”
Rising Calls to Rename Washington & Lee University
Months of national protests over police brutality and racial injustice prompted Washington & Lee University’s current debate over its namesakes.
Seventy-nine percent of faculty voted in favor of a formal resolution to remove Robert E. Lee from the name of the university, according to the Washington Post on July 7, 2020. This vote follows a resolution from the student government demanding institutional change and an end to the university’s memorialization of white supremacists.
Faculty changed the name of Washington College in 1870 to reflect Lee’s contributions to the school as its president. Yet, many students and faculty today believe this glorification of Lee blatantly ignores his national legacy as the leader of the Confederate Army which fought to uphold slavery. Domnica Radulescu, a professor of comparative literature, told WSET News, “The name is not just a symbol, but it represents an association and an allegiance with a dark past whose only place at this point in history is only in a museum.”
Mike McAlevey, rector of the Board of Trustees, acknowledged Lee’s complex legacy in a letter to the Washington & Lee University community: “The board recognizes the dissonance between our namesakes’ connections to slavery and their significant contributions to the university. And we are committed to a deep and detailed review of our symbols and our name with the intention of securing the brightest possible future for this institution.”
The board formed a special committee to perform this review but gave no clear indication as to when a final decision will be made.
New International Students Not Permitted in the United States for Online-Only Classes
In July 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that new international students would not be permitted to enter the United States if their college classes were offered online. This affects both new international undergraduate and graduate students who would have planned to enter the United States this fall to attend U.S. higher education institutions.
On July 6, 2020, ICE issued a directive to ban all international students from being in the United States if their campuses were only open this fall remotely, which would have resulted in deportations for any international students who were not attending in-person courses this fall due to an inability to retain their visa status. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as several other universities and 20 states, immediately sued the Trump administration regarding this directive, which would have stripped current and new international students of their visas to remain in the United States. Amid intense backlash, on July 14, 2020, ICE rescinded the directive that would have prevented current international students from remaining in the United States if their colleges opened for the fall remotely and were not enrolled in at least one in-person course.
New international students will either have to defer their fall semester or stay in their home countries and take courses online. It is estimated that roughly 80,000, about 30 percent, of new international students, will not enroll in their U.S. degree programs in the fall, according to Brad Farnsworth, vice president of the American Council on Education, as reported by USA Today on July 30, 2020.
The potential for the economic loss for international students who choose to defer enrolling at their institutions in the fall could be enormous—the danger is that new international students may ultimately decide not to come to the United States at all. The nearly one million international students in the United States brought in an estimated $41 billion to the U.S. economy in the 2018–19 academic year, according to an economic analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
College Athletics Cancelled this Fall
College athletics are taking a hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ivy League institutions were the first to announce the cancellation of fall sports. In a July 10, 2020, statement, the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) presidents announced their cancellation of competition for all sports this fall. In the meantime, the NESCAC presidents pledge to continue working with conference members to “provide meaningful athletic opportunities for our students during the upcoming academic year.” Robin Harris, executive director of the Ivy League Council of Presidents, told ESPN that student-athletes will practice on campus in a modified form and adhere to travel restrictions to support public health on campus. “It’s certainly the right decision for the Ivy League, but it’s difficult,” Harris said. While NESCAC is the first Division I conference to postpone competition because of the coronavirus pandemic, experts predict it will not be the last.
The Big Ten cancelled the fall sports season, including men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball on August 11, 2020.
“The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward,” said Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, in a statement.
Racial Disparities Amid Campus Reopening
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally impacted communities of color. In a June 25 statement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), acknowledged these disparities in the way COVID-19 affects people of color. “Long-standing systemic health and social inequities have put some members of racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting COVID-19 or experiencing severe illness, regardless of age.” The statement provides resources and suggestions to begin to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on these communities. As colleges and universities reopen their campuses, these disparities in the pandemic’s impact have potential to be widened.
The Trump administration has pushed schools to reopen in the fall despite COVID-19 numbers still high in many areas in the United States. In remarks made at the White House on July 7, 2020, Trump said, “So what we want to do is we want to get our schools open…. as you know, this is a disease that’s a horrible disease, but young people do extraordinarily well.” These remarks focused heavily on the need for educational gains and the stability this opening will bring to society.
Even without reopening, these imbalances are still being seen. In a statement, the NAACP explained some of these disparities in education, including the higher proportion of students of color who do not have access to technology for online learning: “Many homes in low-income and rural communities do not have the necessary technology or access to high-speed internet service.” This divide can cause a gap in access to education in these communities. In response to this divide, the NAACP’s statement suggests that the government should “expand broadband access across the country, with particular investments in rural and low-income communities, to ensure a national standard of internet access, quality, and affordability.”
On July 7, 2020, Shaun Harper, the president of the American Educational Research Association, testified before Congress about the impact of COVID-19 on higher education’s future. Harper discussed how “essential workers” on campuses such as custodians and food service workers are disproportionately employees of color. Reopening campuses will put these employees in danger more than the predominantly white instructional faculty and those in leadership positions who will be able to have more flexibility. He also pointed out the increased need for trauma and grief support, the impact of sending infected students home to their families, and how “black football and men’s basketball players” are at a “disproportionately higher risk” of being infected if sports programs continue this fall.
Board Allocates $3 Million to PACT for Free Community College in Connecticut
The Board of Regents for Higher Education is allocating $3 million in funding to start the Pledge to Advance Connecticut (PACT) program this fall. PACT is a last-dollar funding scholarship, meaning it covers the gaps between financial aid awards and the cost of attendance for eligible students.
According to PACT’s website, this program aims to provide a “consistent community college system that is accessible, inclusive, and affordable—while maintaining excellence in education.”
PACT supporters worried COVID-19 would delay its launch, but the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) remains determined to keep its promise to students. Mark Ojakian, president of CSCU, told Inside Higher Ed in a July 7, 2020, article, “I felt it was critically important, since we had made a commitment to the citizens of Connecticut to roll out in the fall.”
PACT is secure for the fall semester, but questions about the program’s funding beyond 2020 has experts worried about its sustainability. A CSCU staff report to the board’s Finance and Infrastructure Committee estimated PACT will cost $7 to $15 million per year, according to the Connecticut Post.
Victoria Jackson, a senior policy analyst at the Education Trust, spoke with Inside Higher Ed about PACT’s uncertainty. While she believes PACT is a “small step in the right direction” towards making community colleges and four-year institutions accessible, Jackson expects low-income students will continue to be hesitant about their long-term enrollment because of the pandemic and recession.
Record-Breaking Gifts to HBCUs
On July 28, 2020, MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon cofounder Jeff Bezos, announced a donation of $100 million to six HBCUs as part of her $1.7 billion pledge to nonprofits. “I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful… I will keep at it until the safe is empty,” said Scott on the Giving Pledge’s website. Her commitment to closing the gap between HBCUs and PWIs reflects a pattern of increased donor interest in HBCUs.
Dominion Energy pledged $25 million over the next six years to eleven HBCUs, including Hampton University, Wilberforce University, and Claflin University, according to Education Dive on July 27, 2020. On the same day, an anonymous donor committed to a $95 million gift to Coastal Carolina University. In a university announcement, president David DeCenzo stated, “Without question, this donation will provide tremendous financial support for Coastal Carolina’s future growth and development.”
COVID-19 disproportionately impacts African Americans, and these donations are critical to supporting thousands of HBCU students who are shifting to remote learning this fall. Institutions across the country are working tirelessly to ensure their students are properly equipped with laptops and internet access vital for the upcoming virtual or hybrid semester ahead.
Beyond COVID-19, these gifts are directly supporting long-term initiatives centered on diversifying higher education and related fields. In January, NBC reported Howard University received a $10 million gift from the Karsh Family Foundation to directly fund the university’s efforts to diversify STEM fields. HBCUs are mobility drivers, producing 50 percent of America’s black lawyers and doctors as well as 25 percent of black undergraduates earning STEM degrees, according to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Brian Bridges, vice president of research and member engagement at the United Negro College Fund, told Education Dive that he hopes this widespread support, “is a pattern that is not simply a moment” in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. “We hope that this is a movement that directs more investment toward HBCUs in the long-term.”
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