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Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 6/19/20

Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 6/19/20

In order to honor Juneteenth, we hosted our Friday 5 Live on Thursday, June 18th. We were fortunate to have George Hoey as our guest.  George shared his thoughts as a higher education professional and a man of color about how we can support students of color on our campuses as well as faculty and staff.

 

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The State of Higher Education This Week

Our thoughts continue this week to focus on those protesting the killing of George Floyd, police violence and systemic racism in our country.  Roanoke College announced this week the establishment of a Center for Studying Structures of Race.  Columbus State Community College, located in Ohio, will remove statues of Christoper Columbus.  As educators, it is vital that we acknowledge the work of those protesting for change in our country.  In this week’s Friday 5, we are continuing to include resources for higher education professionals as a starting point for the critical and necessary work of addressing institutionalized racism.

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The Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education reported on an initiative coming out of the California Community College System to address campus racism.  Led by Dr. Shaun Harper, more than 60 community college presidents have committed resources to an alliance.  Leaders from institutions across the state will convene and, “focus on hiring and retaining faculty of color, confronting acts of racism on campus, using survey data to improve campus racial climate, addressing tensions between faculty of color and closing racial gaps in student transfer rates.”

“As institutions, we can get kind of insular. Right now is the time for us to really reach out to people who’ve studied these issues for a long time – and to be able to look at our own practices as community colleges so the experiences our students of color are having are more equitable and accessible.”
- Dr. Pamela Luster, president of San Diego Mesa College

 

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Diverse Issues in Higher Education report this week on food and housing  insecurity in college students as a result of the pandemic.  Of students who responded to a survey by the Hope Center For College, Community, and Justice, two-thirds employed before the pandemic experienced job insecurity and a third lost a job because of the pandemic. 4,000 students reported being homeless during the pandemic.  Retention rates of students of color, who are disproportionately facing food and housing insecurity, are a particular worry, according to the report.  Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, an author of the report, advises universities to collect more data – and more specific data – about students’ basic needs inequality.


Innovative Educators On Demand Training: Creating An Inclusive Campus


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    Inside Higher Ed reports this week on the U.S. Supreme Court’s  decision that cements LGBTQ workers' protections from sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination.  As a result of this decision, colleges must ensure the fair treatment of transgender students playing campus sports and living in residence halls. Because the court redefined its interpretation of “sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to encompass both sexual orientation and gender identity, this ruling now allows for challenges of this definition under Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded institutions.

    5

    Taking Action: What Institutions Can Do To Better Support Students of Color
    This week, we’ve continued to compile articles and resources that specifically address what action higher education institutions can take to recruit, retain and graduate students of color.  Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence shares a wealth of resources in their newsletter. Education Dive provides information on Juneteenth, resources for learners of all ages, and a call to action to teach Black history in greater depth at all levels. Peralta Community College made available an open-access Online Equity Training, and Columbia University offers a MOOC on Inclusive Teaching.
     
     
    Author: Meg Foster
    June 19, 2020

    Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 6/12/20

    Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 6/12/20

    Please join us for our next Friday 5 Live on June 19th. We are fortunate to have George Hoey as our guest.  George is a retired college administrator with over 40 years experience in higher education.  George will share his thoughts as a higher education professional and a man of color about the current situation around diversity, bias and violence.  

     

    1

    The State of Higher Education This Week

    Our thoughts continue this week to focus on those protesting the killing of George Floyd, police violence and systemic racism in our country.  Arizona State University announced that it had rescinded its offer to Sonya F. Duhé to be the new dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Duhe’ had been accused of racism and of mistreating students in a previous role.  The University of Kentucky is set to remove a fresco depicting slaves working in a field.  As educators it is vital that we acknowledge the work of those protesting for change in our country.  In this week’s Friday 5, we are continuing to include resources for higher education professionals as a starting point for the critical and necessary work of addressing institutionalized racism.

    2

    The Hechinger Report this week questions whether anything will change for black students on campus as a result of the current protests. This week it highlights disparities in education at institutions like Kent State University at Ashtabula where six-year graduation rates for first-time, full-time black students have been zero for five years running, according to federal data. The Hechinger Report calls on administrators and college presidents to take action to change the educational outcomes for students of color in our country.

    "Some states could double, triple, or quadruple the number of Black bachelor’s degree earners and still not approach an equitable percentage."

    - J. Oliver Schak

    3

    Inside Higher Education this week reports on college presidents’ responses to protests.  While many presidents published remarks seeking change in response to the killing of George Floyd, few shared concrete ideas for how to take action and create meaningful change.  Observers want them to do more. The Chronicle of Higher Education ran an opinion piece this week which sought to remind college leadership that they will be judged by actions and not words.


    Innovative Educators is offering 3 complimentary on-demand webinars on diversity & inclusivity in support of Black Lives Matter.  Simply click the link below, register, and we will send you the recordings to all three presentations.

    Innovative Educators On-Demand Series: Creating An Inclusive Campus

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      NPR reports on Division I athletes who are voluntarily returning to campus this week for conditioning.  While the NCAA has released recommendations for keeping athletes healthy and safe amidst COVID-19, there is a general concern that guidelines are not enforceable and that athletes are returning to unhealthy environments out of concern for losing scholarship resources.  The return of student-athletes to campus may provide guidance and resources for the return of general student populations for the fall semester.

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      Taking Action: What Institutions Can Do To Better Support Students of Color
      This week, we’ve compiled articles that specifically address what action higher education institutions can take to recruit, retain and graduate students of color.  The Hechinger Report highlights 5 things institutions can do to support black students.  Wheaton College compiled a thorough resource titled Becoming an Anti-Racist Educator.  Dr. Andrea Aebersold from University of California, Irvine shared a reading list on Antiracist Pedagogy on the POD Networklistserv.
       
       
      Author: Meg Foster
      June 12, 2020

      Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 6/5/20

      Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 6/5/20

      We are grateful for Dr. Chimene Boone and Ms. Michelle Blair’s time today during this week’s Friday 5 Live.  The TRIO administrators shared thoughts on supporting TRIO students as well as under-resourced and vulnerable students: a critical concern we return to with each Friday 5 Live.  

      Please join us for our next Friday 5 Live on June 19th. We are fortunate to have George Hoey as our guest.  George is a retired college administrator with over 40 years experience in higher education.  George will share his thoughts as a higher education professional and a man of color about the current situation around diversity, bias and violence.

      Yet my work is to teach, to make it possible for others to teach, and learn, and grow. I will do this with ferocity in the coming months, for holding up that light of knowledge is something that, no matter how dark the night, is one of the best hopes for humanity.

      G. Gabrielle Star, President of Pomona College quoted this week in The Chronicle of Higher Education  

      1

      The State of Higher Education This Week

      Our thoughts turn this week to those protesting the killing of George Floyd, police violence and systemic racism in our country.  Institutions like the University of Missouri announced they are cutting some ties to the local police force, and students at Ohio State University are calling on their leadership to do the same.  Many news sources, like NPR and Wired, have discussed racial disparities in the United States brought to the forefront by COVID.  While we continue to see much of higher education news focused on COVID response, as educators it is vital that we acknowledge the work of those protesting for change in our country. We are choosing to focus this week’s Friday 5 on resources for higher education professionals.  This is certainly not a comprehensive resource, but rather a starting point for critical and necessary work.

      2

      Students, Campus and Protests

      As we look to the fall and students potentially returning to campus, what do we need to be aware of as college administrators and educators when students protest on campus?  Here are some helpful resources regarding student protest on our campuses:

      FAQ’s For Student Protests on Campus
      History of College Protest Movements

      3

      Literature for Students of All Ages

      As educators, we look to research and reading as ways to inform our understanding of our world. Below we’ve compiled several lists of books, both fiction and nonfiction, to examine race, racism and resistance.

      Reading List from Black Booksellers 
      USA Today Booklist
      Children’s Booklist

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        Cultivating Racial Literacy

        There are many resources with respect to racism, anti-racism, and racial literacy.  This is a starting point for developing an understanding of institutionalized racism and to start or continue conversations on your campus. 

        Cultivate Racial Literacy on Campus
        JSTOR Daily: Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus
        10 Documentaries to Better Understand Racism
        Scaffolding Anti-Racism Resources 
           Document created by: Anna Stamborski, M. Div Candidate (2022), Nikki Zimmermann, M. Div candidate (2021), Bailie Gregory, M. Div, M.S. Ed.

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          Resources & Commitment to the Black Lives Matter Campaign
          Black Lives Matter is "committed to struggling together and to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive."  At Innovative Educators, we embrace and support Black Lives Matter through our work and through donation.
           
           
          Author: Meg Foster
          June 5, 2020

          Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 5/29/20

          Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 5/29/20


          But tomorrow may rain, so I’ll follow the sun.

           The Beatles  

          We had a fantastic discussion with Laura Clark of the Virginia Community College System during last week’s Friday 5 Live.  She shared her thoughts on the future of higher education.  Please join us for our next Friday 5 Live on June 5.

          1

          Updates on COVID-19 and Higher Education

          The Chronicle interviewed Dr. Fauci last week regarding his thoughts and advice about college reopening in the fall.  The gist: it’s too early to know if colleges could test widely for COVID-19 and each college’s reopening plans will be unique to location and population. Institutions continue to announce plans for the fall.  Colorado College has revised its block system to accommodate a wide variety of learning options. As educators and administrators attempt to predict the future, The Chronicle continues its extensive reporting this week as well as Inside Higher EdWCET provides updates on relevant federal policy changes.

          2

          Continued Confusion Over CARES Act Monies for College Students

          In statements and a court filing over Memorial Day weekend, the Department of Education stated that it “does not intend to enforce guidelines” saying that emergency student grants from the CARES Act are only available for those students eligible for regular student aid. Financial aid administrators and associations representing colleges report that these new statements do not provide clarity regarding whether CARES Act funds can be distributed to undocumented students or other populations ineligible for federal financial aid.

          "If you would have told me in October that we’d be talking about doing a flipped classroom I would have said, ‘Never in a hundred years.’ But here we are.” - Chad Davis, superintendent of East Valley Institute of Technology in Mesa, Arizona

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          Taking Career and Technical Education Online

          Education Dive looks this week at initiatives to take CTE courses online, like automotive technology and cosmetology.  This spring semester, many institutions pivoted quickly by having students complete online reading requirements and preparation for written industry certification tests. For the fall semester, programs are developing flipped classroom approaches where small groups of students will use class time to practice their skills and fulfill hands-on requirements.  Students will continue the academic portion of their courses online.

          11: The number of Instructional Designers the University of Waterloo is looking to hire

          4

          Supporting Faculty and Staff to Deliver Fall Online

          As institutions wrap up the spring semester, faculty and instructional designers are turning their sights towards the fall and preparing for another semester taught fully or partially online. The result is increasing discussion about how to best support faculty in developing and delivering online courses.  Inside Higher Ed this week highlights the work of several organizations including the Online Learning Consortium, which offers support and training resources regarding online course delivery.

          5

          Creating Active Learning in the Socially Distanced Classroom

          In considering a return to on-campus teaching, faculty are examining their physical teaching spaces with an eye for how to re-envision active learning in a socially distanced classroom space.  How can students work in small groups while maintaining a safe distance? How can best practices from online learning be repurposed to a socially distanced, in-person class.  Inside Higher Ed covers this hot topic this week building off conversations and queries from the POD Network listserv.

          Author: Meg Foster
          May 29, 2020

          Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 5/22/20

          Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 5/22/20


          The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.

           E.E. Cummings  

          We were fortunate to host Laura Clark on our  Friday 5 Live today.  Laura shared with us her insights on moving forward towards the fall semester and how we can support our learners and one another.  We so appreciate Laura’s positive energy!  Please join us for our next Friday 5 Live on June 5.

          1

          Updates on COVID-19 and Higher Education

          Colleges and universities are creatively addressing how to confer degrees to students at a distance, and families are joining in the celebrations.  An image of a student graduating from Xavier University on a stage built by her father in their driveway was shared widely across media platforms this week. It seems especially important these days to find ways to celebrate such accomplishments! We send our congratulations to the Class of 2020!  The Chronicle continues its extensive reporting this week as well as Inside Higher EdWCET provides updates on relevant federal policy changes.

          2

          Community Colleges Planning for Virtual Fall Semesters

          While many four-year institutions announced plans this week for a face-to-face fall semester, community colleges are largely doing the opposite.  Community college leaders cited challenges with scaling public health safety interventions like temperature checks or COVID testing.  Many community colleges also have solely commuter populations, and thus, do not have the same residential considerations of their four-year counterparts. Ivy Tech in Indiana does plan to provide flexible fall programming including hybrid and in-person class offerings.

          "As we got to looking at the fall semester, it was really a science and math problem.” - Joe May, president of the Dallas County Community College District

          3

          Trying to Freeze Summer Melt

          The Hechinger Report this week examines programs that are reaching out to students to try to halt the “summer melt” phenomenon.  Between 10 and 20% of admitted graduating seniors in a given year will not show up on college campuses come the fall.  Programs like Beyond 12 and Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative are using texting and coaching to ensure more high school graduates attend college in the fall.

           One-third of students said they would transfer to another institution if their college only had online options (according to Niche survey results)

          4

          What Students Want The Fall Semester To Look Like

          As campuses grapple with planning for the fall semester, Niche surveyed 10,000 high school seniors and current college students to find out what scenario they would most like to see for the fall semester. The survey results: students want to learn on campus...if it can be done safely.  Many institutions announced plans this week for a fall semester that ends at Thanksgiving or moves to remote learning.  The University of South Carolina is one institution moving in this direction for the fall. As far as tuition for the fall: 79% of students said they thought tuition should be less for online or hybrid classes.  In related news, Education Dive reports on students suing for tuition refunds from spring semester.

          5

          The Continued Financial Fall Out of COVID

          Inside Higher Ed reported this week on the continued financial stress caused by COVID: cuts to administration, reduced pay for faculty and employees, hiring freezes, eliminating academic programs.  Three universities have taken the step of declaring financial exigency: Lincoln University in Missouri, Central Washington University and Missouri Western State University.  This status allows institutions to lay off tenured faculty members under American Association of University Professors guidelines.

          Author: Meg Foster
          May 22, 2020

          Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 5/15/20

          Friday 5: Things To Ponder This Week In Higher Ed 5/15/20


          I am not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship.

          Louisa May Alcott  

          We had a fantastic discussion with Dr. Denise Swett during last week’s Friday 5 Live.  She shared her thoughts on planning for the fall semester.  We’re always grateful for her positive energy.  Please join us for our next Friday 5 Live on May 22 when we will focus on mental health concerns for students, faculty and staff.

          1

          Updates on COVID-19 and Higher Education

          Two months into the shift to remote learning and work-from-home orders, this week higher education news sources focus on the continued financial fall out from COVID-19.   The Chronicle continues its extensive reporting this week as well as Inside Higher Ed.   WCET continues to provide updates on relevant federal policy changes.

          2

          FAFSA Application Renewals Down

          Multiple media sources are reporting this week that 5% fewer students have renewed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the upcoming academic year versus this time last yearThe decrease represents more than 350,000 students, most of whom are from low-income families.  A drop in renewal rates suggests that more students  than usual are uncertain about their ability to return to college in the fall.

          3

          California State University System To Be Online For Fall

          Timothy P. White, chancellor of the California State University system, announced on Wednesday that its institutions will conduct the majority of classes online this fall. The system enrolls nearly 500,000 students at 23 campuses.  Across the system’s institutions, on-campus housing will be reduced. A limited number of hands-on learning experiences, such as a capstone engineering project or using specialized equipment, will still be available with intensive precautions.

           "People who flourish are not less afraid, worried, or upset about what’s going on around them. They have just worked at holding these emotions and thoughts in a healthy manner."

          Kelly Crace, associate vice president for health and wellness at the College of William & Mary


          4

          Supporting Students’ Mental Health During COVID-19

          The Chronicle reports this week on how institutions are supporting students’ mental health at a distance, especially when programs like telecounseling are not available. In a recent survey, 80%   percent of college students reported that the COVID-19 crisis has negatively affected their mental health. Campus leaders are concerned for their students, and a third of college presidents indicated in an American Council of Education survey that they intended to invest more resources in mental health services for students. In the interim, institutions are building on resiliency programs to support students learning at a distance.

           $20 million: The number of dollars one home football game at the University of Alabama’s flagship campus can bring to the Tuscaloosa area

          5

          What Does the Loss of Fall College Athletics Mean?

          The Chronicle reports this week on what the fall semester might look like for college athletics. Mark Emmert, president of the NCAA, said the season largely hinges on whether campuses are open for face-to-face classes. Football, the most lucrative sport, may start its season in October or spring 2021. The financial implications of such disruption in revenue-generating sports are likely to be enormous for colleges and surrounding communities.  In addition, athletic programs influence college enrollment and alumni connections which may be further jeopardized by the loss of a fall sports schedule.

          Author: Meg Foster
          May 15, 2020