College woes

An article in today’s New York Times asks “After Coronavirus, Colleges Worry: Will Students Come Back?” It’s a question worth pondering. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/15/us/coronavirus-colleges-universities-admissions.html/

Despite UAB being named the best young university in the U.S. two years in a row by Times Higher Education‘s university rankings, there is concern that students will hold off on registering for classes until cases of COVID-19 settle down; that some may not return, especially out-of-state and international students (a significant number of UAB’s student population); and that financial hardships will shift the balance in many households, making a college education something that is no longer at the top of the list–or something that might be put off until the economy stabilizes.

I miss meeting with students face-to-face and engaging in rich discussions about teaching and scholarship in the corridors of University Hall. While we carry on remotely, though, students, professors and colleagues find ways to bridge the distance. We all hope that we’ll meet again in a familiar space come fall, but if that’s not possible, we all have the advantage of technologies that are pretty darn good for the interim.

Besides, in the grander scheme of things, the woes of colleges anticipating a dip in enrollments rank low on the list. We have much to be thankful for, including the medical side of UAB’s campus, which is at the forefront in treating patients diagnosed with the Coronavirus and researching possible responses to this pandemic.