Campus Reopening in Fall 2020: Linked More to Political Leadership and Institutional Characteristics than to COVID-19 Pandemic Severity

The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to reexamine their modes of instruction for the Fall 2020 semester. Some institutions chose to reopen for in-person instruction, others chose online or hybrid modalities. Leveraging data for 2,458 colleges and universities, we examined how p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American behavioral scientist (Beverly Hills) Vol. 67; no. 12; pp. 1487 - 1509
Main Authors Snideman, Samuel, Collier, Daniel, Fitzpatrick, Dan, Marsicano, Christopher R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.11.2023
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
COVID-19
Demography
Enrollments
Epidemiology
Higher education
Pandemics
Political leadership
Politics
Sociopolitical factors
Teaching
COVID-19
higher education
campus reopening
instruction
policy
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education institutions to reexamine their modes of instruction for the Fall 2020 semester. Some institutions chose to reopen for in-person instruction, others chose online or hybrid modalities. Leveraging data for 2,458 colleges and universities, we examined how political, epidemiological, economic, and institutional characteristics correlated with Fall 2020 reopening plans. We found no discernible relationship between county-level or state-level COVID-19 case counts and reopening plans. Campus demographics (such as White student enrollment) and state political characteristics were related to campus mode of instruction decisions for Fall 2020. The findings highlight the continued, and perhaps increasing, relevance of sociopolitical factors to higher education leaders’ decisions.
ISSN:0002-7642
1552-3381
DOI:10.1177/00027642221118273