College Administrators are Lying to You — They’re Not Really Planning for In-Person Education

I hate having to write these words but the fact is that many college administrators are lying to you.

They claim that their schools are going to be fully — or mostly — open in the fall for face-to-face instruction when they know this isn’t going to happen. How do I know? Numerous faculty members and administrators from around the country have told me exactly this and I have no reason to believe that they’re all fabricating the same story.

As of today, 68 percent of colleges and universities reporting to The Chronicle of Higher Education claim that they’re planning for in-person instruction in the fall. I have no doubt that some of them really believe that they will, in fact, open. But many of them know that they won’t.

Many are promoting the idea of in-person instruction with the goal of getting students to commit to attending and hoping that those students won’t change their minds when they move on-line.

Many are nervous about the possible departure of their students if they declare their intent to go on-line too early.

Many are worried about the need for fall revenue from their residence halls and dining facilities.