College Presidents Say a Fall Opening Is Likely, According to Survey

A majority of college presidents surveyed by the American Council of Education say a fall opening is likely.

The survey is the second of a 12-month Pulse Point surveys of college and university presidents on COVID-19. Three-hundred and ten presidents responded to the survey on topics such as “their current plans for the fall, including actions they may require to consider reopening campus, the impact of the pandemic on future revenue, and the projected impact on fall enrollment numbers.”

More than half of college presidents (53 percent) said it’s “very likely” their institutions would resume in-person classes for at least some portion of the fall term, and another 31 percent reported it was “somewhat likely,” according to the survey of 310 presidents.

Of the 230 presidents in the survey whose institutions offered on-campus housing, a little over half (51 percent) say it was “very likely” that they would resume on-campus housing for at least some portion in the fall and nearly 40 percent reported it was “somewhat likely.”

The presidents also weighed in on the actions they’re planning to take in order to resume in-person classes and on-campus operations. Sixty-five percent of presidents of institutions with on-campus housing reported they plan to “establish residential space on campus for individuals who test positive to quarantine.” About half of presidents reported they’re planning to “require masks to be worn on campus” (53 percent) and “provide PPE to faculty and staff” (48 percent).

To read more about the survey results and insights, head over to the American Council of Education.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.