When students struggle to find nutritious food or stable housing, learning becomes more challenging, and they are less likely to complete their education. The pandemic exacerbated these challenges and led to lower enrollment across all higher education sectors. Community colleges experienced the steepest decline, losing 15 percent of their students between 2019 and 2021. This outsized impact is not surprising, given that the pandemic disproportionately affected the students community colleges are most likely to serve.
A new report from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement takes a deeper look at these challenges and how community colleges are redesigning their roles for the post-pandemic world.
Among the report’s findings: Students are best served when colleges talk with them rather than make assumptions about them. Colleges can ask students what challenges would keep them from completing their educational goals and then connect them to services to support gaps in meeting their basic needs.
Finally, students need to hear the same information multiple times frommultiple sources. And their circumstances may change over time. Thus, sharing information about basic needs support is an institution-wide, ongoing effort. Everyone at the college should play a role.