Rachel Lautigar – University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Many people are often suspicious of Friday the 13. I was never one of those people, but perhaps a level of suspicion could have helped me prepare for Friday, March 13—the day my home, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, announced its closure and transition to remote learning as a result of the outbreak of…
Read MoreBenjamin Forrest – Frostburg State University
There is absolutely no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed higher education in a way that is almost completely unprecedented. Age-old processes, procedures, and traditions have gone out the window in a number of weeks, and both students and faculty have been thrust into an online learning modality that very few are trained in…
Read MoreCollin Kane – Cornell University
On March 6, Cornell students learned that the local Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit system, known affectionately as the TCAT, would be undertaking preventative measures to guard against the novel coronavirus which could disrupt routes around the Ithaca campus. Just the day prior, they had been informed of new travel restrictions and students studying abroad were…
Read MoreMartín Moreno – Georgetown University & LEDA Policy Corps Member
When all the students were called to move out of our dorms at Georgetown University, I was worried about how I was going to store my belongings and if I would be able to fly back home. The University had originally given us a three weeks notice to move out. However, as the probability of…
Read MoreMysia Perry – University of Richmond & LEDA Policy Corps Member
On March 2, 2020, I first learned that COVID-19 would impact me personally before it became the pandemic that worried many Americans into emptying stores out of the essentials. I was doing final preparations for my first trip abroad; I was going to Cape Town with an organization on campus. As American Studies majors/minors and…
Read MoreAdrian Williams – Wright State University
The COVID-19 pandemic has become an international crisis that has significantly altered every facet of my life. As a student leader, it has also been the most difficult thing I have dealt with during my tenure. The pandemic hit like a flash flood—one day we were going about business as normal and the next we…
Read MoreCaylonna Perdue – University of Central Florida
As a graduating senior at the University of Central Florida (UCF), my favorite part about being on campus is getting to network with a group of students that are all in the same walk of life as me. This is extremely evident at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management that I have been so lucky…
Read MoreZenani Johnson – University of West Florida
For many college seniors, we are often asked, “what’s next for you?” Now more than ever it is an overwhelming and loaded question. Not having an exact plan can be both scary and frustrating. This question that makes students feel anxious and alone is now a shared one. A question many are asking themselves around…
Read MoreNow More Than Ever, Higher Education Matters
When I was hired to lead Kentucky’s public higher education system in 2018, I asked my staff to design a logo incorporating the words “Higher Education Matters.” Armed with charts and graphs, I embarked on a statewide listening tour to share the benefits of a college credential and hear how higher education could better meet…
Read MorePost-COVID: Building the Better Education System That We’ve Long Needed
“Don’t waste a crisis” is wise advice that can be hard to remember when you’re actually living through one. And right now, our national response to COVID-19 is a mess. To come out of the crisis as quickly and with as little long-term damage as possible we need a lot more coordination among federal, state,…
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