Tag: colleges

The new coronavirus is hitting colleges and universities hard, but donors can help
COVID-19, IN OTHER NEWS

The new coronavirus is hitting colleges and universities hard, but donors can help

Amid concerns about the deadly coronavirus pandemic, a rapidly growing number of colleges and universities are closing their classroom doors, forcing faculty to teach students online instead of in person. The risks posed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, are both dramatic and abstract. Without a vaccine, scientists can’t say how long it will last or what its full impact will be in any regard – including on higher education. There was almost no time to forge a plan to cope with either the logistical or financial consequences before they began to unfold. We are scholars of philanthropy who have examined the responsibilities of people in charge of overseeing colleges and universities. At this point, we are growing increasingly concerned about the hundreds of colleges ...
What to expect as colleges and universities move classes online amid coronavirus fears: 4 questions answered
COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

What to expect as colleges and universities move classes online amid coronavirus fears: 4 questions answered

Rising concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus have led a growing number of colleges and universities to cancel in-person classes and move them online. Vanessa Dennen, who studies teaching and learning on the web, discusses what going online will mean for college students and instructors. 1. How hard will it be? Moving classes online in the midst of an emergency isn’t unprecedented. It’s been done before with local disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. But contending with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is a different situation. This is a global problem. A sudden shift to temporary or long-term online learning poses a challenge for brick-and-mortar universities to quickly scale up their online learning offerings under less than ideal conditions. It w...
The mental health crisis on campus and how colleges can fix it
Journalism

The mental health crisis on campus and how colleges can fix it

When college students seek help for a mental health issue on campus – something they are doing more often – the place they usually go is the college counseling center. But while the stigma of seeking mental health support has gone down, it has created a new problem: College counseling centers are now struggling to meet the increased demand. As a researcher who examines problems faced by college students in distress, I see a way to better support students’ mental health. In addition to offering individual counseling, colleges should also focus on what we in the mental health field refer to as population health and prevention. These efforts can range from creating more shared spaces to increase social connections to stave off feelings of isolation, to reducing things on campus that threat...