Many of us are feeling cabin fever during this time of required physical distancing.
At Humboldt State University, the feeling is magnified by a disappointment at being separated from our students, especially those about to graduate. There is eager planning for the time when we can resume face-to-face instruction, with employees at all levels asking when and how this can happen. Educators are energized by their students. The unexpected switch to fully virtual teaching and learning has been challenging.
I know the community is eager for students to return as well. Arcata is a college town, and in many ways so are Eureka and McKinleyville. The arrival and departure of large numbers of college students are touch-points for the social and economic life of this area. The art, research, internships, service learning, and other projects of HSU students make this a richer community, as do the alumni who very often stay here to work and raise families.
So, when will HSU get back to normal, or even to something closer-to-normal than we are now? The answer, unfortunately, is that we just don’t know yet.
And, Humboldt State is hardly alone in this struggle.
The question of how to conduct the fall semester is the biggest topic in U.S. higher education right now. Governing boards are struggling with it. Universities are having long and often frustrating internal discussions about the options. Higher education publications are filled with articles and opinion pieces on the topic, and even general interest news outlets have been covering it. Current and incoming students are definitely asking for more information.
Nobody, it seems, has come up with just the right answer. Yet. Nearly all universities are holding off on any firm decision given the uncertainty of how the pandemic will affect our lives over the next few months.
What is clear is that any public utterance of specific options leads to problems. Many universities have experienced news coverage of “scenarios” presented as “decisions” — with students jumping to make plans based on these reports and faculty confused about news stories that conflict with internal discussions.
So I’m avoiding describing potential scenarios for Humboldt State.
I can, however, assure you that the faculty and staff at Humboldt State are working very hard on this — and that we will have a fall and spring semester. Intense and detailed planning for a number of possibilities is underway, even in the midst of completing this very challenging semester. We are not delaying, and we will be making important short-term changes while also re-imagining what HSU can be in a post-COVID world.
Our range of questions is remarkably broad — from very local to global.
A small sampling:
How can we give students enough information to plan ahead? How do our classrooms and other campus spaces function if we need to maintain physical distancing? Will faculty and staff be constrained by closed childcare facilities or schools? What are state and local health officials saying about movement and physical distancing? Are the rules going to be the same for our region as for others? What will the state budget look like? What is the expected course of the pandemic in California and the United States? What is the progress, and what are the challenges, in other countries?
None of us know what the “new normal” will look like or even when we will get there. What we do know is that no matter what happens during the next months and years, Humboldt State will remain focused on offering a positive, meaningful educational experience. We are clear-eyed and mission-focused, and we are committed to our students and this community.
Be well.
Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr. is the president of Humboldt State University.
