As colleges and universities look ahead to the rapidly approaching fall semester, one surely to be unlike any seen before as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the importance of planning and coordination with their communities has become abundantly clear. Summer has provided a glimpse into what could happen as reports have emerged about fraternity houses, social gatherings, and athletic teams on campuses in recent weeks.
Citrus Bowl between the Michigan Wolverines and the Alabama Crimson Tide on January 01, 2020, at … [+]
So much attention has been paid to re-opening college campuses in terms of ensuring the safety of students (in classrooms, dining halls, and residence halls), faculty and staff teaching and working on campus, maintaining social distancing requirements in public spaces, and ensuring an adequate supply of everything from PPE, to testing and contact tracing capacity, to isolation plans and mental health services. Communities have been similarly focused on re-opening businesses, restaurants, and public spaces. Recent weeks have seen reports of successes and failures as even the best laid plans have been unable to be actualized due to failures of key players in both following and enforcing requirements.
College and their communities will be welcoming back thousands and in many cases tens of thousands of students in a matter of weeks. The coordination of efforts to maintain population safety and effectively contain spread of the Coronavirus is essential to the successful re-opening plans for both colleges and their communities. Coordination of plans for selective closures or other operational responses in the face of a localized outbreak are also essential. Finally, coordination for isolating those who test positive, or treatment of those who come down with symptoms, may be practical in some cases. The point is that each depends on the vigilance of the other.
But like so many other matters, one size does not fit all. There is not one course of action all universities and all college-towns should follow. Why? Because there are many different college-community types and circumstances. For example, consider the circumstances, challenges, and opportunities presented by each of the following:
1. Small college or large university in a small college town, relatively isolated from other communities;
2. College or university in a large, densely populated, metropolitan area;
3. Large university with multiple campuses;
4. Large university that periodically draws large crowds from other regions/states into the community (e.g., for athletic events);
5. University having (or connected to) an academic medical center;
6. College or university that is returning all or most (vs. a percentage of) students to campus;
7. Location in a warm climate that permits more outdoor gatherings, classes, and events through the fall semester;
8. Likelihood of students to follow recommended guidelines, which may vary by institution type, location in the country, and effectiveness of institutional messaging and associated commitments/programs;
9. Likelihood of community members to follow recommended guidelines, which may vary by location, socio-economic status, educational level, political leaning, sense of community, and sense of personal and collective agency.
The coordination required (and likely) to occur between a university and its community in case 1 is necessarily different from that in case 2. Case 3 could require coordination with several communities of very different sizes or population characteristics. Case 5 and Case 7 each offer unique opportunities for coordination.
The commonality in ensuring success is mutual commitment, one built on trust and driven by social conscience and a sense of shared responsibility. College town-gown relationships are now essential, even critical, not just circumstantial.
The degree to which campuses and their communities are successful in re-opening this fall, maintaining safety while welcoming students and visitors, will become evident in a matter of months.
Burlington, Vermont is home to the University of Vermont and ranked consistently as one of the top … [+]
Our nation’s colleges and universities, rural and urban, campus-based and hybrid, large and small, teaching-focused and research-active, public and private, community-independent or community-engaged, are essential to our nation’s re-opening and recovery following the pandemic. They support local and regional economies, create market and jobs, and drive discovery and economic development. They engage students’ curiosity, shepherd their learning, and prepare them for success. They bring arts, athletics, and entertainment to communities and regions. And they engage with and serve their communities in myriad other ways.
Our pandemic response enters a new phase this fall with the planned re-opening of higher educational institutions. Close coordination, shared commitment, and shared social conscience will serve both colleges and their communities. This is one challenge we can meet. Even with the uncertainty around fall sports, done right, we can put this in the win column.
