Forecasting the Fall: Calamity or Opportunity?

In these rough waters, higher education leaders cannot indulge the luxury of sitting back and waiting to see what everyone else does. Whatever happens with the pandemic or the economy, we are not going to see a simple “return to normal” or to the conditions under which our institutions operated in January, and leaders must […]

The Words We Use: How Higher Ed is Responding to Calls for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Increasingly, faculty leaders are responding seriously to the call for more “culturally relevant pedagogy,” referring to more inclusive classrooms and pedagogical styles. This article draws on findings from a recent inquiry into how institutions are thinking about equity within pedagogy. In late 2019 (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic), I conducted 28 phone interviews with both […]

We are Outside the Box – Now is the Time to Think Like It

What does the future of higher education hold? How will our sector emerge from this crisis? To answer these questions well, we need to think bigger and bolder, with all the creativity at our disposal. by W. Kent Barnds, Executive Vice President for External Relations, Augustana College I once had a boss I called “the […]

COVID-19 Testing and Contact Tracing: 3 Tips as You Prepare to Reopen Campus

COVID-19 testing and contact tracing is an evolving topic with many unknowns, but several critical tips emerged from a recent discussion among peers at different institutions, both residential and commuter. by Daniel Fusch, Academic Impressions On May 28, 2020, academic leaders, student health, and student affairs professionals from just under two dozen campuses met online […]

Responding to Microaggressions in Online Learning Environments During a Pandemic

With faculty and students both stressed during the pandemic, microaggressions may become more frequent in our online learning environment. Here are some practical strategies for mitigating the impact of microaggressions in online and remote classes. by Dr. Tasha Souza, Associate Director for Inclusive Excellence for the Center for Teaching and Learning, Professor of Communication, Boise […]

How Do We Relaunch Research Operations?

Re-opening academic labs for research is critical but fraught with opportunities for confusion, miscommunication, and risk. Representatives from an array of research institutions met recently in an Open Space virtual meeting to discuss solutions. As a research professional in higher education, you are likely thinking about or in the process of relaunching operations after COVID-19 […]

Adjusting Housing and Dining Operations for the Fall: Ideas from Your Peers

Every campus with plans to re-open in the fall is scrambling to adjust campus housing and dining services – but often, we are moving so fast and feeling so isolated that we lose the opportunity to compare notes and brainstorm solutions with our peers, or to learn from what other institutions are trying. That’s why […]

Becoming Global: Engaging Transnational Alumni, Donors, and Friends

During a time of pandemic (and after), how can we keep our international, or rather, transnational alumni, donors, and friends engaged and connected? Two experts discuss. This year constituent engagement has looked different than in the recent past. While travel has ceased, virtual connections are keeping relationships warm 24/7. This is more important than ever […]