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Can Colleges And Universities Survive The Pandemic?

Students wait in line for registration and an identifying wristband after receiving a negative test result for coronavirus while arriving on campus at Colorado University in Boulder, Colorado.
Students wait in line for registration and an identifying wristband after receiving a negative test result for coronavirus while arriving on campus at Colorado University in Boulder, Colorado.

The coronavirus pandemic has left colleges and universities struggling to stay open in the months since it first emerged. As fall classes begin, many schools are having to roll back their plans for in-person classes due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

Meanwhile, most campuses have been hard hit by financial losses, dropping enrollment rates, and student demands for reduced tuition. Now, many are left wondering what the future of higher education will even look like.

As its own type of business, many economies surrounding higher ed will have to adapt to a post-COVID world. But while some roles are better suited for a virtual world, like faculty and administrators, what will happen to those whose livelihood depends on a university outside of the classroom? And what about schools that were already on the verge of collapse before the pandemic?

We talk about how colleges and universities might survive or sink.

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Charla Freeland