Higher Ed Has a Credibility Problem. Here’s How Leaders Can Fix It.

By: Scott Pansky 

Focus, transparency and a return to core principles lay the foundation for real change.

There is a wildfire burning, and it is spreading fast. The COVID-19 pandemic was the match that lit these flames, exposing deep fractures in public and private institutions that have been around for generations. Responses to the pandemic from many of our leaders -- in both words and deeds -- have fallen woefully short, amplifying a serious erosion of trust that grows on a daily basis.

Nowhere are these fractures more evident, this erosion of trust more glaring, than in higher education. For months, we have been watching colleges struggle with the impact of the pandemic in real time, with the financial challenges of returning to campus instruction dominating the public conversation. Despite more than two million Americans having already been diagnosed and infections continuing to rise, we see many universities forging ahead with plans for on-campus instruction this fall. Testing, tracing and physical distancing protocols remain vague and aspirational, leaving more questions than answers about the safety of literally millions of students and faculty.

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