Empathy by Design: The Higher Education We Now Need

Introduction

Due to the surge of cases of COVID-19 and the abrupt shift to remote learning in the Spring of 2020, colleges and universities were faced with unprecedented challenges and the devastating impact of the global pandemic. The pressure educators were under to hold steady, educate students, and support them during these perilous circumstances was unmatched. Author and professor Robert McKee (2018) shared, “True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure—the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation…” (p. 117). Those words are often considered the cardinal rule (a rule from which all others hinge) for storytellers aiming to infuse their fiction with heroes that pop from the page or jump off the screen. Yet, COVID-19 was not fiction; the reality of the disease created remarkable loss, trauma, and life challenges, and higher education felt its plunder. COVID-19 not only shook the foundation of higher education, the pandemic also forced educators to rethink whole systems and operations entirely. Over the last couple of years, as the pressure mounted with exponential force to meet the needs of students who are experiencing their education in this context, McKee’s words ring ever true: character is revealed in the choices made under pressure. Now is a time where educators have a choice to live up to the moral qualities they proclaim. Educators have a choice to maintain the status quo, as if the pandemic was only a passing set of challenges, or decide to integrate their learning about the lived experiences of their students to create new and more equitable educational experiences.

Higher education is facing a crucible of unparalleled proportion. And if educators’ true character—not just as educators but as humans—is unveiled in direct proportion to the amount of stress we are under, then perhaps there has never been a more character-revealing moment. In the United States (U. S.) while normal campus operations were interrupted during COVID-19, the continuity of teaching, learning, and research remained essential for both the mission and the wellbeing of community colleges and universities. The vision and mission of institutions of higher education continued to press onward while students, faculty, and staff were homeschooling children; caring for loved ones; working extra jobs; supporting Black Lives; marching against Asian hate; redoubling campus commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and enduring the many tragic losses caused by this pandemic. All these circumstances have converged to this moment in time with a hope that higher education can emerge with a new focus, new vigor, and a more equitable experience for students where educators’ character is demonstrated through their commitment to understand and respond to the diverse needs of students.

To be clear, even in good times, students attending colleges and universities throughout the U.S.—many of whom are the first in their family to attend college—are navigating higher education under the weight of both the books on their backs and the family legacies on their shoulders. Already, they may work full-time or multiple jobs and care for family members while they endeavor to make a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities. Already, their communities may be underserved and their journeys perilous. Already, they may grapple with food insecurity, financial woes, and for some, the pain of inequity, racism, and hate. Now, educators have an opportunity to demonstrate their humanity, like never before.