The College President’s Role During Times of Crisis

As 2023 draws to a close, Devorah Lieberman, the former president of the University of La Verne, offers a roadmap for college and university presidents on how to support students, ensure campus safety, and foster a climate of tolerance during national and global crises.

The Impact of COVID-19 Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed three pieces of legislation that granted a total of $76 million to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The Department of Education recently released a report detailing how this money was spent as well as the impact these funds had on student success and helping colleges and universities stay financially afloat.

A Window of Opportunity: New Report Examines the Long-Term Effects of the Pandemic on Postsecondary Education

A new white paper from EAB examines the long-term effects the COVID-19 pandemic might have on postsecondary education, focusing on four main areas: social disengagement, mental health, availability of transfers, and unfinished learning in K-12.

Many American colleges should be proud of how they navigated COVID-19. The next draft of history should reflect their success.

Campuses across the country are moving toward a more a sustainable set of pandemic-response practices—a transition with which much of society is struggling. Longwood University’s Justin Pope thinks history will show that many liberal arts colleges were in the lead, both in 2020 and today.

Supporting Distressed Communities by Strengthening Regional Public Universities: A Federal Policy Proposal

A report from Brookings’ Metropolitan Policy Program outlines a new proposal demonstrating the value of federal investment in regional public universities (RPUs) during economic recovery.

The Advantages of Being a New President in a Virtual World

Cathy Sandeen joined Cal State East Bay as president in the middle of the pandemic. To her surprise, virtual leadership has had unmistakable upsides.

Rethinking the Academy: Lessons From Higher Ed’s Response to Equity Concerns During COVID-19

With vaccines now available and campuses preparing for a return to “normal,” higher education leaders must ask what we have learned about our institutions’ capacity for change and how we will incorporate that learning into a post-COVID future, not just in terms of teaching and learning but also in considering equity and inclusion.

Refocusing on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion During the Pandemic and Beyond: Lessons from a Community of Practice

As the pandemic continues exacerbating the effects of structural barriers that communities of color face in our country, now is the time to commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion work and make a true difference in the lives of our students and campus communities. Auburn’s Taffye Benson Clayton writes about the work of ACE’s community of practice on DEI.

Department of Education Should Not Leave Needy Students Out in the Cold in Midst of a Pandemic

The Trump administration has rejected the opportunity to do the right thing by all students in distributing CARES Act emergency grants. We must hope that Congress does not allow them to do it again.

Lessons Learned from Rural Community Colleges’ Response to COVID-19

An array of challenges have shaped the response of rural community colleges to COVID-19. Yet an informal survey of rural institutions indicates that this is not a story of defeat, but one of creativity and commitment.

Shared Leadership As a Strategy for Leading in a Time of Crisis and Beyond

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many faculty and campus leaders have begun working together in new ways, unlocking a new capacity for collaboration and innovation that we did not know we had. How can we keep this sense of common purpose after the crisis passes?

Survival to Transformation: Navigating Fiscal Distress During COVID-19

The challenge ahead for higher education is unprecedented, and the typical solutions won’t sustain our institutions. If we can’t go back to what we used to be before COVID-19, we must instead evolve to something better, writes ACE’s Philip Rogers.