President Connie Ledoux Book was joined by leaders from Furman University, Elizabeth City State University, the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education to talk about the financial fallout from COVID-19.
President Connie Ledoux Book recently joined other higher education leaders in a virtual discussion for Carolina Business Review focused on how colleges and universities are responding to financial strains from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Carolina Business Review segment, titled “The Assault on College Financing,” aired on public television stations across North Carolina and South Carolina. The show is hosted by Chris William, and joining Book on the panel were:
- Elizabeth Davis, President, Furman University
- Rusty Monhollon, Executive Director, South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
- Jenna A. Robinson, President, James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal
- Karrie Dixon, Chancellor, Elizabeth City State University
Book noted during the discussion that a number of factors are impacting how colleges and universities can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including their debt levels, how well a school was positioned by their boards to respond in terms of cash reserves, and the structure of their endowments. “For some schools, this will be a hard thing to overcome,” Book said during the discussion.
Schools have been responding creatively to the challenges the pandemic presents, Book said, particularly in the classroom as faculty members have leveraged new tools and taken a fresh approach to the classroom experience.