Hunt Institute
- 1. COVID-19 Resources for Institutions of Higher Education | Page 1 COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION COUNTY RESOURCES One of the top-line recommendations from both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is that institutions of higher education (IHEs) should contact their county health department and coordinate their response plan with local experts. County health departments have websites with county-specific updates on COVID-19, and many have developed county-specific resources that IHE staff can share with students and faculty. Some county health departments have set up dedicated phone lines or email addresses to receive questions or requests about COVID-19. This NCDHHS website provides contact information for county health departments and links to their websites. STATE RESOURCES The state has published high-level guidance for IHE leaders, although it is not as comprehensive as the guidance from federal agencies (which is summarized in the next section). g NCDHHS: COVID-19: Colleges, Universities, Schools and Childcare Facilities Ĥ NCDHHS has a section of guidance for IHEs, which includes the following recommendations: á Take precautions to protect students and children, faculty and staff from the spread of respiratory illnesses. á Review absenteeism policies and procedures to make sure students or children, faculty and staff are not being encouraged to attend or work if they are sick. á Establish a relationship with the local health department and communicate with them if you have any questions or concerns about COVID-19. á Remind your faculty, staff, students and/or children’s guardians that an annual flu shot is an important way to support overall health. While the flu shot does not protect against COVID-19, it is the best defense against the flu, which is a common respiratory illness. á Make sure you are getting reliable information. Be thoughtful about what you read or hear about the virus and make sure you are separating rumor from fact before forwarding information on to your students and children, faculty or staff. All North Carolinians can better prepare for COVID-19 by getting up-to-date information directly from reliable sources like NCDHHS and CDC. á While some may be worried or have concerns about COVID-19, it is important to not let fear and anxiety lead to social stigma toward students and staff. NCDHHS also has a general landing page for COVID-19 that has additional resources – although they are not specific to the IHE audience. FEDERAL RESOURCES CDC has released comprehensive guidance on how IHE leaders should coordinate their campus response plans. g CDC – Interim Guidance for Administrators of US Institutions of Higher Education Ĥ Contains information on the role that IHEs can play in preventing the spread of COVID-19 among students, staff, and faculty – and how to respond if a case is identified. Ĥ Top-line recommendation: coordinate with local health departments to distribute information about the disease and its potential transmission to all members of the IHE community. Ĥ Other recommendations include providing mental health support to students and taking steps to reduce stigma and discrimination against Chinese and Asian students. Ĥ More detailed recommendations are split into two categories: á Guidance for IHEs that do not have COVID-19 identified in their community: • Review, update, and implement Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs). • Develop information-sharing systems with partners.
- 2. COVID-19 Resources for Institutions of Higher Education | Page 2 COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION • Monitor and plan for absenteeism. • Establish procedures for students, staff, and faculty who are sick (with any illness) on campus. • Ensure IHE health clinics prepare for COVID-19. • Perform routine environmental cleaning. • Create plans to communicate accurate and timely information to the IHE community. Review CDC’s guidance for businesses and employers. á Guidance for IHEs with identified cases of COVID-19 in their community: • Determine if, when, and for how long the IHE may need to suspend classes and postpone or cancel events and activities. • Work in close collaboration with local health officials and the IHE’s university system to make class suspension and event and activity cancellation decisions. • Seek guidance from local health officials to determine when students, staff, and faculty should return to campus and what additional steps are needed for the IHE community. • Temporarily cancel extracurricular group activities and large events. • Discourage students, staff, and faculty from gathering or socializing anywhere. • Ensure continuity of education and research. • Ensure continuity of safe housing. • Ensure continuity of meal programs. • Consider if and when to stop, scale back, or modify other support services on campus. CDC also has a landing page specifically for IHEs which includes the following guidance: 01. The interim guidance summarized above; 02. Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations; 03. Guidance for Student Travel; 04. A Checklist for IHE Administrators; and 05. FAQs for IHE Administrators. The U.S. Department of Education (US ED) has released guidance that provides IHEs with additional flexibility that can be used to ensure continued compliance with federal student aid requirements. g US ED, Office of Postsecondary Education – Guidance for Interruptions of Study Related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Ĥ Contains information on how IHEs can ensure that they continue to comply with federal student aid (Title IV) requirements in the event of suspended operations. Ĥ Also contains an email address that IHEs can use to ask any questions that aren’t answered by the guidance: COVID-19@ed.gov Ĥ The guidance grants additional flexibility to IHEs wherever it is allowed by statute – in some cases, the guidance explains why US ED lacks statutory authority to grant additional flexibility. á US ED gives broad approval to offer distance education on a temporary basis wherever possible – IHEs do not need to go through the regular approval process. • Accreditors may waive their distance education review requirements for IHEs. • IHEs do not have to meet any distance learning requirements regarding sophisticated learning
- 3. COVID-19 Resources for Institutions of Higher Education | Page 3 COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION management systems – even emailing course materials to students and holding conference calls qualifies as a legitimate distance learning strategy under this guidance. • IHEs can enter into consortium agreements to have their students take courses at other institutions and still receive credit from the IHE where they are enrolled. • Accreditors may waive any requirements that dictate the number of credits students must receive through the IHE where they are enrolled. Ĥ US ED is accepting requests for a temporary reduction in the length of the academic year for IHEs who close for a campus health emergency. Ĥ US ED is allowing IHEs to continue paying student Federal Work Study wages in the event of campus closures – although IHEs must meet certain requirements. Ĥ In order to remain eligible for federal student aid, students must meet certain Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements – US ED has said that circumstances related to COVID-19 may form the basis of student appeals to waive such requirements. Ĥ Although US ED does not have the authority to waive requirements to distribute funds based on a student’s enrollment status (full-time, part-time, etc.), the guidance states that IHEs are only required to calculate enrollment status at the time the loans are disbursed – they do not have to recalculate eligibility based on enrollment status changes mid- semester. US ED also has a landing page with additional guidance documents for all levels of education providers, which include the following information for IHEs: 01. The CDC Interim Guidance summarized above; 02. The US ED guidance on interruptions of study summarized above; 03. Additional FAQs from the US ED Federal Student Aid Office; and 04. Guidance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on nonimmigrant students and COVID-19.
- 4. COVID-19 Resources for Institutions of Higher Education | Page 4 COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION STATE LINK TO GUIDANCE FROM STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICER (SHEEO) LINK TO GUIDANCE FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CC) GOVERNANCE BODY Alabama https://ache.edu/ACHE_Reports/Misc/coronavirus/Coronavirus_ Updates.pdf https://www.accs.edu/coronavirus/ Alaska https://sites.google.com/alaska.edu/coronavirus/ No CC-specific guidance found. Arizona https://www.azregents.edu/news/novel-coronavirus No CC-specific guidance found. Arkansas https://twitter.com/ArkHigherEd/status/1238223934169980934 No CC-specific guidance found. California https://www2.calstate.edu/coronavirus/ https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/ Communications-and-Marketing/Novel-Coronavirus Colorado https://highered.colorado.gov/Staying_informed_about_ COVID-19.html https://internal.cccs.edu/coronavirus/ Connecticut http://www.ctohe.org/Docs/CoronavirusResourceLinks.pdf https://twitter.com/Leigh_Appleby/ status/1237853674065416194 Delaware https://www.udel.edu/home/coronavirus/ https://www.dtcc.edu/about/news-events/coronavirus-update District of Columbia No SHEEO guidance found. No CC-specific guidance found. Florida https://www.flbog.edu/2020/03/11/state-university-system- statement-on-covid-19/ http://www.fldoe.org/em-response/index.stml Georgia https://www.usg.edu/coronavirus https://tcsg.edu/covid-19-virus-information/ Hawaii https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2020/03/12/uh-actions-address- covid-19/ https://hawaii.hawaii.edu/covid-19 Idaho https://boardofed.idaho.gov/coronavirus-covid-19-resources/ No CC-specific guidance found. Illinois https://www.ibhe.org/IBHE-covid-19.html https://www.iccb.org/iccb/coronavirus-guidance-resources/ Indiana https://www.in.gov/che/ https://www.ivytech.edu/coronavirus.html Iowa https://www.iowaregents.edu/news/board-news/coronavirus- resources No CC-specific guidance found. Kansas https://www.kansasregents.org/about/covid-19-information No CC-specific guidance found. Kentucky https://kentucky.gov/Pages/Activity-stream. aspx?n=PostsecondaryEducationCouncil&prId=217 https://kctcs.edu/covid-19/ Louisiana No SHEEO guidance found. https://www.lctcs.edu/covid-19 Maine https://www.maine.edu/blog/2020/03/10/university-of-maine- system-issues-covid-19-directives-prohibiting-all-non-essential- university-air-travel-opens-residence-halls-for-spring-break-and- urges-students-to-stay-on-campus/ https://www.mccs.me.edu/covid-19/ Maryland https://mhec.state.md.us/Pages/Information-for-Postsecondary- Institutions-on-Coronavirus-COVID-19.aspx http://mdacc.org/community-college-combat-covid-19/ Massachusetts https://www.mass.edu/covid-19/home.asp https://www.masscc.org/content/information-outbreak- coronavirus-virus-0 Michigan https://www.masu.org/news/health-safety/03-09-2020/updated- 311-coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-michigan-higher-education https://www.mcca.org/coronavirus Minnesota http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=2390 No CC-specific guidance found. Mississippi http://www.mississippi.edu/pr/covid-19.asp No CC-specific guidance found. Missouri No SHEEO guidance found. https://www.mccatoday.org/covid19 APPENDIX | STATE-SPECIFIC COVID-19 GUIDANCE WEBSITES
- 5. COVID-19 Resources for Institutions of Higher Education | Page 5 COVID-19 RESOURCES FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION APPENDIX | STATE-SPECIFIC COVID-19 GUIDANCE WEBSITES (CONT.) STATE LINK TO GUIDANCE FROM STATE HIGHER EDUCATION EXECUTIVE OFFICER (SHEEO) LINK TO GUIDANCE FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGE (CC) GOVERNANCE BODY Montana https://mus.edu/coronavirus/covid19.html No CC-specific guidance found. Nebraska https://nebraska.edu/news-and-events/news/2020/03/university- of-nebraska-campuses-to-transition-to-remote-learning-after- spring-break No CC-specific guidance found. Nevada https://nshe.nevada.edu/covid-19-information-center/ No CC-specific guidance found. New Hampshire No SHEEO guidance found. https://www.ccsnh.edu/covid-19/ New Jersey https://nj.gov/highereducation/documents/pdf/index/COVID- 19_A%20Guide%20for%20New%20Jersey%20Institutions%20 of%20Higher%20Education.pdf https://www.njccc.org/coronavirus New Mexico No SHEEO guidance found. No CC-specific guidance found. New York https://www.suny.edu/health-alert/?utm_source=home&utm_ campaign=012020 No CC-specific guidance found. North Carolina https://www.northcarolina.edu/coronavirus No CC-specific guidance found. North Dakota https://cts.ndus.edu/coronavirus/ No CC-specific guidance found. Ohio https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/home/ covid-19-checklists/colleges-and-universities-covid-19-checklist https://twitter.com/TheOACC/status/1237519664650977280 Oklahoma https://www.okhighered.org/state-system/corona/ No CC-specific guidance found. Oregon https://www.oregon.gov/highered/about/Pages/COVID19.aspx No CC-specific guidance found. Pennsylvania http://www.passhe.edu/News/Pages/Releases.aspx?q=2020-03- 16-state-system-additiona-measures-coronavirus No CC-specific guidance found. Rhode Island https://web.uri.edu/coronavirus/ https://www.ccri.edu/covid-19/index.html South Carolina https://www.che.sc.gov/HOME/Coronavirus(COVID-19) Information.aspx No CC-specific guidance found. South Dakota https://www.sdbor.edu/mediapubs/New%20Press%20 Releases/031220_COVID19.pdf No CC-specific guidance found. Tennessee https://www.tn.gov/thec/covid-19-campus-information.html https://www.tbr.edu/general/novel-coronavirus-covid-19- information Texas http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/misc/coronavirus-update-for- higher-education/ https://tacc.org/tacc/covid-19-updates Utah https://ushe.edu/ushe-covid-19/ http://www.slcc.edu/safe/c19.aspx Vermont https://www.uvm.edu/emergency/covid-19-coronavirus- information-and-updates; https://www.vsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Covid-19.pdf https://ccv.edu/2020/03/12/information-on-coronavirus- covid-19/ Virginia No SHEEO guidance found. No CC-specific guidance found. Washington No SHEEO guidance found. No CC-specific guidance found. West Virginia http://www.wvhepc.edu/coronavirus/ https://www.wvctcs.org/coronavirus-college-updates Wisconsin https://www.wisconsin.edu/coronavirus/ https://www.wtcsystem.edu/initiatives/covid-19 Wyoming https://www.uwyo.edu/shser/corona-virus.html No CC-specific guidance found.