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Amid concerns about the deadly coronavirus pandemic, a rapidly growing number of\u00a0colleges and universities are closing their classroom doors<\/a>, forcing faculty to teach students online instead of in person.<\/p>\n The risks posed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, are both dramatic and abstract. Without a vaccine,\u00a0scientists can\u2019t say<\/a>\u00a0how long it will last or what its full impact will be in any regard \u2013 including on\u00a0higher education<\/a>. There was almost no time to forge a plan to cope with either the logistical or financial consequences before they began to unfold.<\/p>\n We are scholars<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0philanthropy<\/a>\u00a0who have\u00a0examined the responsibilities<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0people in charge of overseeing<\/a>\u00a0colleges and universities.<\/p>\n At this point, we are growing increasingly concerned about the\u00a0hundreds<\/a>\u00a0of colleges and universities that were\u00a0already on financially shaky ground<\/a>\u00a0before COVID-19 began to spread. We fear that some\u00a0may never recover<\/a>\u00a0whenever things finally get back to normal.<\/p>\n Here we go– just got the announcement that we are moving to remote instruction until April 13.<\/p>\n I teach online regularly, and feel comfortable with the technical aspects of the transition. But I am now thinking through what the implications are for things like thesis defense<\/p>\n \u2014 Dr. Ashley Nickels (@AENickelsPhD) March 10, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n