Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore whether the institutional presence of public health expertise within colleges and universities was associated with operational plans for the fall semester of 2020. Using cross-sectional data collected by the College Crisis Initiative of Davidson College, six levels of instructional modalities (ranked from least to most restrictive) were compared between Council on Education of Public Health (CEPH)-accredited and non-CEPH-accredited 4-year institutions. Institutions with CEPH-accredited schools and programs were more likely to select some restrictive teaching modalities: 63.8% more likely to use hybrid/hyflex or more restrictive and 66.9% more likely to be primarily online (with some in person) or more restrictive. However, having CEPH-accredited programs did not push institutions to the most restrictive modalities. COVID-19 cases in county, enrollment, and political affiliation of the state governor were also found to be associated with instructional modality selection. While any ecological study has certain limitations, this study suggests that college and university fall plans may have been influenced by the presence of CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health, and/or the input of their faculty. The influence of relevant faculty expertise on institutional decision-making can help inform college and university responses to future crises.
Highlights
Colleges and universities were denoted as having an institutional presence of public health faculty based on established schools of public health, public health programs, or standalone public health baccalaureate programs accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
Though public health is taught in unaccredited settings as well, and those public health faculty possess professional expertise, this analysis focused on Council on Education of Public Health (CEPH) institutions due to the curricular standards and quality conferred through the accreditation process
The institutional presence of a CEPH-accredited school or program was found to be associated with college and university modality selection for fall 2020 when controlling for both enrollment and incidence of COVID-19 at the county level, as well as political affiliation of the governor at the state level
Summary
In spring of 2020, higher education in the U.S was faced with a problem not experienced in 100 years—deciding how to respond and operate during a global pandemic. What began in the spring semester with abrupt disruptions, led to the realization that the COVID-19 crisis would continue into the fall. Virtually every college and university engaged in dialogue and strategic planning to formulate their response. In the U.S, this was reflected in a wide range of governance patterns informed by varying influences and controls. While the shared governance methodology provides structure through which leadership may meet its educational responsibilities, the COVID-19 crisis presented a new and formidable challenge—inserting public health as a primary focus in higher education’s collective decision-making model (1).
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