A checklist for a fall campus takeoff

Whether or not colleges and universities open this fall or continue instruction online, campus leaders must ensure that all systems are ready. For those of us on Long Island, “The Cradle of Aviation,” the pilot’s checklist is an apt metaphor.

Before takeoff, aviators review a checklist of standard items to ensure that the crew is fit, the aircraft is ready, and the flight plan is current. For an enterprise the size of higher education on Long Island — 15 institutions, 160,000-plus full-time and part-time students, and nearly 35,000 employees — the checklist can be especially challenging.

No matter whether large or small, public or private, the 10 steps in this checklist should take priority in planning the fall takeoff.

First, assess and plan for the health and safety of those on campus and those who might be coming. Has the emergency response plan been updated?

Second, assess how well the fast turn to distance teaching and learning worked. Effective online courses can take up to a year to conceive, develop and test. The ideal form of online learning allows students to study at their own pace. This spring, however, colleges moved all courses to online in under two weeks.

Third, what professional development is needed to ensure faculty and staff are prepared to continue distant teaching and learning, or a sudden shift back if COVID-19 resurges in the fall?

Fourth, assess how student academic and financial aid advising worked in the online environment. What new procedures and protocols would help students succeed?

Fifth, in addition to continuing to recruit students in new ways, such as “virtual” tours and open houses, campuses must focus on retaining the students they enroll.

Sixth, how will students who require clinical placements, practice teaching, and similar off-campus experiences as part of their graduation or licensure requirements be assisted?

Seventh, the campus president should communicate with students and their families, faculty and staff, feeder high schools and community leaders about ensuring campus safety and assuring the quality of teaching and learning.

Eighth, the president, senior officers, and key staff and faculty leaders should conduct tabletop exercises to think through responses to a new or resurgent crisis in the fall.

Ninth, the board, president, and academic and financial leaders should discuss tuition, fees, and other charges. There are those who argue that tuition for online courses should be less than for in-class sessions. However, effective online teaching and learning can be more expensive in terms of faculty time, supplementary materials and graphics, and equipment. Therefore, any consideration of tuition and fees must take into account the actual cost of offering the courses and programs.

Tenth, the COVID-19 crisis challenges campus decision-making. This is not the time to abandon the tradition of shared governance involving trustees, the administration, and the faculty. Strategic planning includes consideration of topics such as restructuring academic and administrative units, and even a merger with a strategic partner. It is better to engage in such thinking as a campus community than simply to cut across the board, furlough staff, and freeze hiring.

Careful budget planning is essential. Summer revenue has been lost, but expenses continue. Fall enrollment may be lower than needed for a balanced budget in normal times. With or without students, the debt on residence halls has to be paid.

The actions of campus boards, presidents and faculty leaders will have a major impact on Long Island’s economy. The public and private colleges and universities on Long Island have a cumulative payroll of more than $3 billion and total operating budgets of more than $5 billion. For all these reasons and more, we must ensure that boards of trustees and campus leaders are prepared for takeoff this fall, whether on campus or online.

Robert A. Scott is president emeritus of Adelphi University, and author of "How University Boards Work."