In early spring, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic quickly began to impact nearly every university and college. After the transition to remote operations, academic leaders quickly focused attention on their approaching summer sessions. Institutions grappled with immediate and numerous challenges, including how to expand (or offer for the first time) remote or online courses to support degree completion and student success; handling canceled study abroad programs, internships, and other academic experiences for students; managing projected declines in enrollment and revenue; supporting the research enterprise for faculty and graduate students; pausing the operations of on-campus services and auxiliary units; and determining the status of non-curricular or special summer programs, such as summer camps, exchange/transient programs, and K-12 programs. In addition, summer is often a time when many new students begin their degree programs, and orientation and welcome programs for fall also occur. All of this was coupled with projecting declining budgets for the coming fiscal and academic year, which for many, includes layoffs, furloughs, and other significant cuts in expenditures.

With this context and background, a panel of leaders from NAASS, the North American Association of Summer Sessions (NAASS), will discuss data, trends, and insights that emerged from Summer 2020. The panelists will include: the current President, Past-President, President-Elect, and Chair of Quality and Research Committee. Founded in 1964, NAASS is an association of higher education administrators who lead or work closely with summer and special sessions. Its purpose is to help its members develop summer initiatives, advocate for resources to support students during summer, and coordinate with other organizations supporting the NAASS mission. There are currently over 130 colleges and universities that are members. The association co-publishes a journal Summer Academe and maintains data and statistics on summer sessions through the Joint Statistical Report (JSR).

The session will begin with an overview of data and trends collected both at the start and conclusion of summer session 2020. As part of this discussion, panelists, who represent diverse types of institutions, may also share examples of their own institutional approaches. Panelists will discuss how summer sessions pivoted to address the immediate challenges of this crisis, and how lessons learned from summer can inform innovation that extends beyond summer into the “regular” academic year. Time in the session will also be allowed for participants to ask questions and share their own approaches to summer.

Submission ID:

13628

Presenter(s):

Steven Girardot Georgia Institute of Technology

Troy Hargrove Saint Louis University

Lowell Davis Western Carolina University

Patricia (Trish) Suske University of Nevada, Las Vegas