The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic has left many colleges and universities in a constant state of change. A 2020 report from Inside Higher Ed states that college enrollment declined by 2.5 percent in the fall semester, a percentage that equals approximately 400,000 students (St. Amour, 2020). The National Conference of State Legislatures reported that 1,300 colleges and universities canceled face-to-face classes or shifted to fully online in 2020 (Smalley, 2021). The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that 10 institutions either closed or were consolidated in the past year (Natow, 2021). For a sector that can be hesitant to change, higher education has been forced to adapt, be flexible, and reassess its operational model.
Supporting Faculty and Staff Mental Health and Well-Being: Mattering and Growing at Work
So far this spring, I have explored the first three “essentials” for workplace mental health and well-being—protection from harm, connection and community, and work-life harmony—in the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/workplace-mental-health-well-being.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer