|
February 7, 2023
Dear ASHE Members,
COVID-19 has impacted the lives of people worldwide for nearly three years and counting. Although we have experienced and learned how people’s lives have been affected, it is difficult to understand the full extent of the impact of COVID-19 on people's lives because we are still experiencing it. Our obligationon as a scholarly community is to engage in discussions using what we know from exemplary research and scholarship to inform practice and disseminate that knowledge to wider audiences.
During my presidency in 2022, I commissioned a task force to pull together and synthesize the best research and scholarship to understand and mitigate COVID-19 challenges across the higher education landscape. This work exists within ASHE as many of you, our members, are leading this conversation. This task force synthesized research on the impact of COVID-19 on faculty, staff, and students and offered innovative short-term and long-term implications for supporting these populations.
I encourage you to read this statement, use it in your work, and share it with others, including those responsible for making decisions on your campus. I hope that members and higher education leaders use this statement to mitigate COVID-19 challenges, rethink policies and practices, and continue to reimagine university work cultures to be more supportive and considerate of COVID-19 impacts. Ideally, this statement will also stimulate conversation about how policies and practices can be more equitable and inclusive for people who have experienced trauma from COVID-19.
| 
