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COVID-19 and Higher Ed: Weekly Update
 April 6-10, 2020
The latest developments regarding the impact of COVID-19 on New England's colleges and universities, students, and families.
Updates from New England Institutions
Check out NEBHE's COVID-19 updated dashboard for complete data
  • 203 HEIs have transitioned to distance learning

  • 78 HEIs have implemented flexible grading policies for the spring 2020 semester

  • 100 HEIs have announced pro-rata room/board refunds, credits for future semesters, or a hybrid of the two

  • 88 HEIs have delayed commencement, 12 have cancelled it entirely, and 8  have planned online ceremonies

  • 32 HEIs have extended the fall 2020 enrollment deposit deadline to June 1
Resource Spotlight
NEBHE Analysis of ED Allocation of CARES Act Emergency Funds to HEIs and Students: RAPID DISBURSEMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS TO STUDENTS

NEBHE Letter to the New England Congressional Delegation on Additional Measures to Support Higher Education (04-08-2020)


The Tenure Clock: Guidance on Making Policy Changes Due to COVID-19

The "tenure clock" – the commonly used metaphor for the imaginary meter that counts down the probationary period for an assistant professor who is not yet tenured but is on the tenure track – continues to tick at most New England HEIs, despite the coronavirus-related campus disruptions.

In recent years, tenure clock extension policies have become increasingly available for faculty who need extra time granted on their "clock" due to special circumstances, such as family responsibilities or health issues. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has caused some HEIs to revisit their extension policies to provide additional concessions to faculty whose progress toward their professional and scholarly achievement has been disrupted by the pandemic.
NEBHE Recommendations:

  • Plan to offer a tenure clock extension to tenure-track non-tenured faculty. Participation in the extension should be optional and have no bearing on the tenure decision.

  • Plan for the possibility that the extension may need to be lengthened if coronavirus-related disruptions continue into the fall semester.

  • Clearly communicate intentions to make these policy changes to faculty as soon as possible. Now is a time of great uncertainty. Institutions are also running at full capacity to address a host of high-priority challenges that have emerged because of the pandemic. Even if your institution is not able to develop a tenure clock policy change immediately, announcing your intention to do so can eliminate a source of uncertainty among faculty.

  • Consider relaxing existing rules that require the utilization of sick leave. At many institutions with existing extension policies, for an illness to qualify as a reason to stop the tenure clock, it must be accompanied by utilization of earned sick leave. If junior faculty or a member of his/her household contracts COVID-19, consider eliminating this condition.

  • Consider easing restrictions on circumstances that are not typically considered valid reasons for stopping the clock on a case-by-case basis. In most instances, institutions will not approve requests to stop the clock for faculty members' financial hardship. If your faculty members are required to endure a temporary pay disruption due to COVID-19, consider making additional allowances for financial hardship on a case-by-case basis.

Additional Guidance for Adjusting the Tenure Clock:

  • Principles for Higher Education Response to COVID-19, AAUP.
  • The AAUP recommends that "tenure-track faculty members whose work is disrupted by the institutional or governmental response to COVID-19 should have the option to stop their tenure clock for the duration of the disruption."
Has your institution made a tenure clock policy change due to COVID-19 that wasn't counted in the chart above?

Do you have additional policy recommendations or feedback on our recommendations?

We'd love to hear from you! Email smurphy@nebhe.org .
Promising Practices
Workforce Training Opportunities for Laid-Off Workers

Maine Community Colleges Offering Free Health Care Training Programs for Laid-off Workers. Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order suspending certain restrictions of the Maine Quality Centers program, which is offered by the state’s community college system. As a result, the state's community colleges are now able to provide short-term, free online training to recently laid-off residents, while also providing the health care industry with needed workers.


Is your institution offering free or discounted workforce training opportunities for laid-off workers? Let us know by emailing  policy@nebhe.org .


Support for New Program Development in Response to Workforce Shifts

COVID-19 Work and Education Survey, Strada Education Network . Results are released weekly to provide insights to the education providers, policymakers, employers, and individual Americans who are navigating the crisis.
Distance Learning, Compliance, and New England SARA
Despite the hurried nature to ensure instructional continuity during COVID-19, it is crucial that institutions continue to monitor existing compliance obligations, including the importance of accessible and transparent student complaint policies and processes.

As a reminder, it is a federal requirement that an institution provide contact information and its policies for students to channel complaints through the institution, in addition to its accrediting body and relevant state education agencies. 
Compliance Consideration of the Week:
Check in on your student complaint process

This week, we share some suggested practices and considerations for institutional student complaint processes, available here .

This document includes further information concerning the complaint process required by participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).

Questions?
rstachowiak@nebhe.org
617-533-9503
For more, visit NEBHE's COVID-19 Resource Page
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Additional questions on what you see here?  Send an email to  policy@nebhe.org  and we will get back to you ASAP.