The Value of Higher Education Through a COVID-19 Lens
The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened scrutiny of the value of higher education, renewing questions about the price of a college education and the benefits received for the costs incurred. But crucially — and absent from much of the public discourse — the pandemic and its effects also have reinforced the immense value of higher education to individuals, communities, and society at large.
The pandemic has negatively impacted or exacerbated so many aspects of daily life. In addition to the public health concerns related to COVID-19, the pandemic has created an uncertain economic outlook. This has prompted families, policymakers, and industry leaders to focus on immediate needs and concerns.
In times of crisis, people often are acutely focused on the here and now, and for good reason — there are urgent issues to resolve. Families need to stay vigilant in protecting themselves from COVID-19 while navigating daily life. Medical researchers are studying new ways to prevent the spread of the disease while searching for a vaccine, and business and industry leaders are hoping to guide their companies through a significantly disrupted market environment.
But such a short-term outlook belies the importance of looking long term and acknowledging the importance of higher education as both a public and private good and renewing a commitment to investing in it.
Higher Education Is an Indispensable Public Good
Institutions of higher education have answered the call to arms against the pandemic, and in doing so, have positively contributed to the public good and society at large. Colleges and universities — as communities of people dedicated to education, research, and service — have demonstrated their ability to be nimble, responsive, and indispensable to society in the wake of this health crisis. Across college campuses, trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, and students have sought safe and sustainable paths forward to fulfill their institutions’ missions — and they are doing so because postsecondary training, education, and the pursuit of knowledge remain sound aspirations in the face of so much uncertainty.
Research and Innovation. At the beginning of the pandemic, many colleges and universities quickly sought innovative ways to demonstrate and execute their public service missions by addressing the growing need for ventilators, personal protective equipment (PPE), vaccines, and other informative technological resources. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed a disposable and portable ventilator to help hospitals care for patients with critical COVID-19 cases. Rice University, in collaboration with Metric Technologies, developed a low-cost ventilator to address the growing need for the device. A contingent of colleges and universities in Florida, including Barry University, Miami Dade College, Florida Atlantic University, Broward College, have worked to build PPE for their communities. Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) developed a COVID-19 event assessment planning tool to help families, businesses, and communities minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 at large events.
Civic Engagement. At the nexus between research and civic engagement is an example of how the presidents of the HBCUs Dillard University and Xavier University of Louisiana, participated in the clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine and strongly encouraged their surrounding communities (and all communities of color) to consider joining a clinical trial to ensure the development of an efficacious vaccine. Given the long history of mistrust in the Black community with regard to clinical trials, many people criticized these college presidents’ joint statement. Despite the criticisms, however, their actions further underscore higher education institutions’ commitment to their students and communities.
These are only a few examples of how colleges and universities have demonstrated their value to society and the public good by addressing issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even among these examples, the indispensability and value of higher education is clear — and continued support and investment in higher education is warranted.
Higher Education Provides Returns for Students
In addition to higher education’s value to the public after the onset of the pandemic, the benefits of higher education are especially noticeable for individuals who have earned a postsecondary credential.
Public discussions often focus heavily on student loan debt and measure success on a student’s earnings within a year of college graduation. These short horizons of comparison can provide a bleak view of higher education and challenge the worthwhileness of earning a postsecondary credential. Over a longer horizon of comparison, research has found that workers with a college education typically earn more than those without a degree. For example, earning an associate’s degree increases wages, on average, and decreases the likelihood of being unemployed. Earning a more advanced degree, from a bachelor’s degree on up, further cements these benefits. The pandemic underscored these facts, specifically with regard to employment and financial security, as well as physical health and safety.
Employment and Financial Security. The loss of employment (and financial security by extension) has been extensive in the COVID-19 context. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, nearly 23.1 million people were unemployed by April 2020 — the apex of unemployment since the beginning of the pandemic. Industries most affected were leisure and hospitality, educational services, and other services.
However, unemployment rates by education level represent the starkest contrast. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of education had lower unemployment rates, despite the pandemic’s negative impact on various industries. Individuals with a high school education or less experienced a 19.2 percent unemployment rate in April, compared to 18.6 percent of individuals with some college, 13.9 percent of individuals with an associate’s degree, and 8.5 percent of individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher. This reality is, in large part, due to the type of jobs and roles that those with higher levels of education possess compared to those with less or no postsecondary training. Individuals with higher levels of education, with the exception of many professional health careers (e.g., dentists, optometrists, etc.), typically were able to transition to remote work more readily than individuals employed in industries or roles that may not require postsecondary training. This also had implications on health and safety.
Health and Safety Disparities Based on Employment. As researchers and medical professionals learned more about the spread of COVID-19 earlier this year, many individuals who worked in industries that require face-to-face contact were caught at a crossroads. Many were infected and some even died due to complications of the virus. Overwhelmingly, those same individuals who disproportionately contracted coronavirus were from Black, Latino, and other communities of color. These same communities represent those who have traditionally and historically been underrepresented in higher education.
Prior research has noted the correlation between education levels and better health outcomes. However, the pandemic has underscored just how critical employment is in that calculus. It further highlights the need for more investment in higher education, especially to increase the representation of communities that have been historically underrepresented so they, too, can have the opportunity to realize the same private benefits (and health outcomes) as those with higher levels of education.
Doubling Down on the Higher Education Investment
Even amidst the urgency of COVID-19, college leaders are focused on delivering an experience that will provide lifelong value. With a college education, many will establish an educational foundation that will enable them to grow and to innovate both in their careers and in their communities. Increasing attainment rates of postsecondary degrees and credentials brings value to individuals and their communities alike. However, higher education remains disproportionally inaccessible to many communities, especially to economically-challenged students, first-generation students, and students from Black, Latino, and other communities of color. And the pandemic further exacerbated the challenge for young Black students, whose collective enrollment in higher education dropped from 37 percent of all 18 to 24 year olds in 2019 to 33 percent in 2020. For this reason, and for the above-mentioned benefits of higher education as shown through a COVID-19 lens, it is in the public’s interest to reconsider its view on the value of higher education.
Trust the Evidence. There is ample research evidence that conclusively shows the public and private benefits and value of higher education. It is critical to use this evidence to forge paths forward for a more educated, just, and inclusive society.
Make a Commitment to Underrepresented Communities. One of the most glaring tragedies of the pandemic has been its disproportionate and negative impact on Black and Latino communities — the same communities who are underrepresented in higher education. The public and higher education communities must make a commitment to those who have been traditionally and historically excluded from higher education. This will require honest assessments of policies and practices, as well as a concerted effort to dismantle the remnants of systems that have prevented equity and inclusion. It will require investment.
Invest. Investments are necessary to achieve a more educated and inclusive populace — from a societal perspective, from the perspective of institutions of higher education, and finally from the perspective of individuals pursuing higher learning. In the wake of a global health crisis, the outcomes realized by those who have earned postsecondary credentials are in stark contrast to those who have not, and higher education graduates have been instrumental in curbing the loss of life and mitigating the spread of the virus. Federal and state lawmakers should strongly consider the value of higher education when distributing scarce financial resources.
Our colleges and universities have offered steadfast support before and throughout the pandemic. It is vital to take the long view of higher education’s immense public and private benefits and recognize postsecondary institutions as crucial pillars of our society. The higher education sector will undoubtedly look different in the wake of the pandemic, but stakeholders — from faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees to policymakers — must look back on this tumultuous time and be able to say they made every investment possible to provide students with a valuable education and that institutions were provided with the tools they needed to make that happen.
A slide deck with additional charts accompanies this post and is available on the NACUBO website.
