“The biggest misconception is that the Pandemic is disastrous for higher education,” says James Vigil, Senior Associate at Brailsford & Dunlavey. Vigil goes on to explain that COVID-19 has created significant challenges for higher education, but may also provide a “much-needed and long-overdue” function, forcing higher education to look inward and evaluate itself holistically, paying careful attention to how it delivers services and courses and how it can improve delivery methodologies to be more effective, less expensive, and more flexible. As architects and advisors, we have referred multiple times to how we have relied on the underpinnings of our organizations during times of uncertainty; now universities must do the same. By grounding their actions in the foundations of their institutions, whether it be accessible education, innovative thinking, or personal growth, the mission of each university will drive the future of both the campus and its operations.
Schools are just starting to announce their projected interactions with students for the fall semester: some opting to keep students completely off campus, others allowing students on campus until Thanksgiving [1], some using hybrid learning models, others allowing students onto campus but running only online courses [2]. The hope is that decisions made are true to each organization’s mission, such that institutions make it through the next few years as successfully as possible, and continue to flourish longer-term. So far, we know one thing is absolutely true - as schools prioritize accessibility, likely resulting in a temporary expansion of online delivery of instruction, they risk focusing less on the in-person learning experience.