These are strange days indeed for all of us, ones that has accelerated trends such as telemedicine and online learning. Nobody knows that more than today’s college administrators, professors, and students, who have made some relatively fast adjustments to social-distancing realities. In this Take Five — actually, Take Four — interview, UW–Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank discusses how her student body is adjusting, and how much she’s worried about the financial damage being done to university departments.
How has this pandemic affected your business operation so far (remote learning, postponements, etcetera]?
“The pandemic has had an impact on every aspect of our core missions of teaching, research, and outreach. That we were able to pivot so quickly to the new reality of life under quarantine is a testament to the incredible flexibility and talent of our faculty, staff, and students. For instance, in a little over a week, 7,000 classes were transitioned to online instruction, and we quickly shifted to provide online student advising and other support in this new environment.
“There are very few institutions that are as well-suited to helping respond to this magnitude of crisis than a major public research institution. In short order, we have:
- Initiated important research that is helping us understand, and hopefully find a vaccine, for COVID-19;
- Provided vital expertise to local public health efforts and the community at large;
- Turned over some of our residence halls to support UW Health, the state, and the county;
- Developed a design for face shields through the College of Engineering;
- Produced gallons upon gallons of hand sanitizer at the School of Pharmacy; and
- Reallocated desperately needed campus personal protective equipment [PPE] to UW Health.
“I mention all of this because it’s a credit to our campus community and is illustrative of the role of a public university and our mission to solve problems.”
| “I’m very worried about the financial cost of this pandemic to the university. Particularly if the campus is not operating as normal in the fall, we will be facing very large reductions in our revenues.” — Rebecca Blank |
How is it likely to affect your business in the future? From what you’re learning, can you replicate remote learning in the fall and carry it on for as long as necessary?
“I have little doubt that we can continue remote learning into the fall, but our preference, and I think the preference of all our instructors and students, would be to return to in-person instruction and to full campus operations.
“I’m very worried about the financial cost of this pandemic to the university. Particularly if the campus is not operating as normal in the fall, we will be facing very large reductions in our revenues. And, given the likelihood of major economic impacts on the state budget, we may also see cuts in our state support in the near future, which will only add to our budget problems and our need to reduce expenses and programs. Many of our planned investments in academic programs and facilities have been put on hold.”
How will it affect your industry, higher education, as a whole?
“We’ve already seen impacts across the national higher education landscape, as virtually all campuses have shut down and budgets are crunched from lost revenue. The larger economic pain felt by many families with lost jobs and income may also affect how many students can afford to attend college in the next few years. Eventually, these financial pressures will mean reduced investment in both education and research, which can have a very negative affect on the innovation and entrepreneurship that happens at universities and is a major driver of economies.”
What if there is no men’s UW football, basketball, or hockey, or no fans allowed to attend the games? Since the Badgers have historically sold out all three (though men’s hoops had more empty seats of late), what will be the impact on other sports? Wisconsin is somewhat unique in that it has generated a lot of revenue from all three big men’s sports, which sell 1 million season tickets combined, not to mention the sponsorship dollars they get, and that helps support the other athletic programs. Not every university can say that. Universities with losing men’s sports teams can barely sustain those programs, let alone help the other athletic programs.
“Major changes to our athletics’ operations would have a major financial impact on that program that we’re continuing to assess. But our highest priority is the health and safety of our students and staff. Along with our peer schools, we will continue to monitor the best public health advice to guide our decisions about athletic competition.”
Editor’s note: The UW Office of Business Engagement stands ready to work with businesses as they address their evolving needs. The OBE website provides information regarding campus operations, research and development activities, and resources to help university partners navigate these challenging times. You can reach the Office of Business Engagement at obe.wisc.edu/about-us.
Click here to sign up for the free IB ezine — your twice-weekly resource for local business news, analysis, voices, and the names you need to know. If you are not already a subscriber to In Business magazine, be sure to sign up for our monthly print edition here.
