Provosts Report on Pandemic-Related Changes and Institutional Priorities

Title: 2021 Survey of College and University Chief Academic Officers

Source: Inside Higher Ed and Hanover Research

Inside Higher Ed and Hanover Research published results from their annual survey of provosts, which details trends for 183 respondents across public, private nonprofit, and for-profit institutions. As a whole, provosts expressed confidence in the academic quality of their institutions, while acknowledging the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. More detailed findings include:

• Roughly one in four provosts reported their institution had cut faculty positions. These roles were largely comprised of adjuncts and nontenured, tenure-track faculty.
• Most respondents relayed plans of offering “somewhat more” hybrid and online courses after the pandemic.
• Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of provosts noted that their institution is re-examining their curriculum to assure it is inclusive and diverse.
• Though 93 percent of respondents agree on the importance of liberal arts education, 73 percent expect to see a decline in the number of liberal arts colleges over the next five years.

Other topics include faculty professional development, funding allocations across majors, responses to allegations of sexual harassment, and graduate student unions.

Click here to read the report.

—Anna Marie Ramos