To: Education & Political Reporters
From: The Education Trust–New York on behalf of REACH NY
Subj: The Pandemic & Higher Education: Reopening With Equity
As New York lawmakers hold a Joint Virtual Public Hearing on the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education, the REACH NY postsecondary equity advocacy network today released Reopening With Equity: 10 Questions for Campus and System Leaders.
Drawing on the data from a June survey of college students, this new policy brief recognizes the unprecedented challenges facing students and higher education institutions and offers a series of equity priorities the network is calling on colleges and universities to address this fall alongside health and safety needs.
College students across New York State are experiencing intense academic, emotional, and financial instability during the coronavirus pandemic, with four in five (81%) indicating in a recent poll that they are concerned about staying on track to graduate. The poll findings highlight the urgent need to support college and university students both during and in the aftermath of the pandemic and set a path to a stronger, more equitable education system in the future.
Raising Equity & Attainment in College Higher (REACH NY) is a postsecondary equity policy and advocacy network with a steering committee made up of Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology, DegreesNYC, The Education Trust–New York, Hispanic Federation, Ibero-American Action League, New York Urban League, New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling, Say Yes to Education–Buffalo, Veterans Education Success, and Young Invincibles.