📰 Higher Ed Topic of the Month: September

Back-to-School is always a challenge...even more so in 2021!
Hello XM Community colleagues! I’m Karla Fisher, Chief Industry Advisor for Education here at Qualtrics. After 22+ years as a student and 20+ years as an academic administrator, back-to-school has always been one of my favorite times of the year, second only to Commencement. Getting back into the swing of academics is always a challenge, but each new school year brings the promise of a new beginning. For students and teachers/faculty alike, no matter how the last year went, the new year promises a fresh start. 
I think that’s part of what makes this year’s back-to-school particularly challenging. We were all hoping to be past the pandemic by now, returning to normal and focusing less on our physical wellbeing and more on our academic pursuits. Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury. With the Delta variant on the rise, we have to continue to balance the short term--striving to keep everyone healthy--with the long term--combating any learning loss from 2020 so students can progress and graduate on time.
Understandably, parents are of two minds. They want to keep their kids healthy and safe AND ensure the best possible education. We see this in the results of our recent Qualtrics back-to-school study: 65% of parents told us they would be willing to keep their kids at home if the Delta variant continues to spike, even though 53% expressed concern that their kids fell behind on schoolwork over the past year and the most common reason they gave was hybrid or remote learning.
With the increase of COVID cases among children, 56% of parents say they are more worried this year than last about the health and safety of their kids. At the same time, the precipitous decline in higher education enrollment fueled, in part, by the 25% of students postponing college during COVID, points to adult learners’ concerns.  With the increasing prevalence of vaccinated adults and the potential of a vaccine for children under 12, we can only hope to see greater comfort and confidence for adults to attend, teach, and send children to in-person classes. 
Whether you are delighted or dismayed by the recent Presidential mandate for vaccinations, it’s clear that such mandates can be polarizing. Despite the controversy--perhaps even more importantly during controversial times--at Qualtrics we’re helping our schools, districts, colleges, universities, and employers in all sectors stay focused on what matters most: putting people at the center of every experience. 
We know the pandemic has and is affecting everyone--students, parents, employees--differently. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to balancing quality education and safety. It’s only by listening and understanding each others’ needs that we can get through this together.
With that, I’ll leave you with words from my 4th grade teacher, who influenced not only my educational and professional journey, but the way I tackle virtually any adversity. She used to quote Martin Luther King. Jr. and Audrey Hepburn, often in the same breath. Said MLK, “From the mountain of despair, a stone of hope” and from Ms. Hepburn “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’m Possible.” 
There is hope, and this is possible, if we continue to listen to and encourage each other. Thank you for all you are doing to support students, faculty, and all of the people in your world!  Keep in touch, Karla