WEBVTT - Simmons President Says Fall Plan Needed by July 1st 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.760 This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Jason 0:00:03.840 --> 0:00:07.400 Kelly on Bloomberg Radio. Well, the world of academia, as 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:11.160 we've been talking of throughout our broadcast, that of academia 0:00:11.160 --> 0:00:14.280 and higher education definitely changing in the midst of this 0:00:14.400 --> 0:00:17.640 health crisis. So the questions are we've been you know, 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:21.200 pursuing Jason, is what's going to be the longer term impact. 0:00:21.280 --> 0:00:23.560 Let's bring in Hell and John and she is president 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:26.520 of Simmons University. She joins us on the phone from Boston. 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:29.280 President John, and nice to have you here with us. 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:33.200 You guys have been closed like um, much of academia 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:36.160 is certainly in the hardest hit areas and cities. UM. Now, 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:38.320 I think for about a month or so, give us 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:41.080 a little bit of an update about how you came, 0:00:41.240 --> 0:00:44.080 you know, you know, how things are operating, um, and 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:46.239 what you see for the outlook like when we get 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.360 on the other side of this. Well, hello, and thanks 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:52.960 for having me. Happy to do this. Yeah, I would 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:56.800 say that things are going about as well as anyone 0:00:56.840 --> 0:01:00.640 could possibly imagine they could go under the circumstances. And 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:03.720 and I say that with recognition that there is great 0:01:04.200 --> 0:01:08.199 disruption and difficulty and challenge all around. I'm not trying 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:12.080 to be in the least bit pollyannish about this. So UM, 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:14.319 I would say the fact that we were able to 0:01:14.400 --> 0:01:18.240 pull off within two weeks almost across the entire nation, 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:23.000 finding an alternative way to deliver on the goals that 0:01:23.080 --> 0:01:26.800 students finish their courses and graduate if they're eligible for graduation, 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:29.640 is astonishing. And I think we're all just sort of 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:33.240 living with the with the speed and the change that 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:37.119 that required. But we're also settling down to this maybe 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:41.320 business as usual for some time, and so business as 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:43.880 usual for some time. Let's dig into that if we can, 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:47.080 President Rondon, because I do feel like that is the 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:51.200 big question when it comes to education. You know, Carol 0:01:51.280 --> 0:01:54.600 and I have high school juniors. They're sort of looking 0:01:54.640 --> 0:01:57.120 at a very different landscape as they apply to college. 0:01:57.360 --> 0:01:59.160 We have a lot of you know, friends who are 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:03.280 of college students who have come home to uh you 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:06.800 basically have like they feel like they're in high school again, 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:11.400 you know, living their parents house with nowhere to go. Um, 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.640 how do you sort of keeping sort of keep an 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:17.400 eye on everybody as well as sort of keep in 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:21.920 touch with them to anticipate and an unanticipated future. I 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:24.520 guess even looking as as far ahead or or as 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:27.519 close at hand as the fall, well, maybe maybe I 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:29.120 should just throw out a couple of things that I 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.400 think are clearly the considerations until the fall, and then 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:34.840 we can talk about we're staying in touch on that 0:02:34.919 --> 0:02:39.400 kind of thing. So most places have have been extremely 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:42.840 clear nothing is going on on summer campuses that otherwise 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:47.080 would have for example, summer programs of any level to 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:50.320 the extent possible, many many people are moving those online 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:53.600 because many summer students need those opportunities to fill in 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:56.480 credits that they're trying to finish before they finish a degree, 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:58.240 that kind of thing. So there's a certain sense of 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:02.280 urgency about continuing this level of provision of the education, 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:06.239 at least through the summertime. The big deal is, of course, 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:09.200 the go no go decision from what are we able 0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:13.640 to do on September one? In around September one, and 0:03:13.639 --> 0:03:16.280 there are a couple of major considerations here. Nobody wants 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:18.720 to bring students back if it's not safe, and how 0:03:18.800 --> 0:03:22.160 will we know when it's safe. So everybody is following 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:24.919 all of the medical information we see every single day 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:27.440 to try to get up six on this. I would 0:03:27.480 --> 0:03:30.040 say that most of us are going to be in 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:33.680 the position of having to make a decision about opening 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:37.040 on September one, no later than July one, But will 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:40.040 we have the data that we need even then. So 0:03:40.120 --> 0:03:44.280 that's a big, big issue. If we can't open on 0:03:44.320 --> 0:03:49.040 the first, can we open later? Are there alternative ways 0:03:49.280 --> 0:03:53.320 of doing a deferred opening? So a lot of people 0:03:53.400 --> 0:03:57.320 are thinking about that. The last, of course option is 0:03:57.360 --> 0:04:00.480 to have a have a plan ready to go their way. 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:06.480 So is it possible to offer a high quality virtual 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:10.960 experience for a semester or a part of a semester 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:13.480 in the events that we think we can open second 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:17.040 semester or partially through for a semester. That is a 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:21.080 very tall order because it's so much bigger than what 0:04:21.200 --> 0:04:25.400 anyone is delivering today. I doubt that very many institutions 0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:28.360 could entertain that option. And what do you do then? 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:30.440 You know, this is a conversation we had with one 0:04:30.440 --> 0:04:34.320 of our reporters earlier, like what's the financial adjustment? Potentially, 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:37.719 because part of a big part of you know, going 0:04:37.800 --> 0:04:40.840 to a great institution, a great college, you know, like 0:04:40.880 --> 0:04:43.560 your own, is the experience of being around other students 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:46.159 from all over the place, and you know, face to 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:50.360 face with professors and you know teachers. That's a big 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:52.000 part of it, and it takes the learning to a 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:55.400 whole other level. You know what financial adjustments might have 0:04:55.480 --> 0:04:59.120 to be made if it's a virtual online class, Well, 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:02.320 there's no question, and Carol that the cost of the 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:05.680 education will have to be discounted. There is excuse me, 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:09.640 there is a different experience if you're doing this online. 0:05:09.640 --> 0:05:13.599 You're perfectly correct. And actually Simmons has about five years 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:18.159 of experience with graduate professional education. Now I said graduate professional, 0:05:18.240 --> 0:05:21.919 not undergraduate professional, and it's very different. But we have 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:26.279 enough experience to say, if done well, it's a great alternative. 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:30.920 It is not a replacement for a four year undergraduate 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:34.120 coming of age experience. Nobody would argue that that is 0:05:34.160 --> 0:05:36.680 not the same thing. But if it's the way to 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.960 step in and it's high quality and it's a discount, 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.560 that could be a viable alternative. And if you think 0:05:43.600 --> 0:05:45.840 of it that way, it actually becomes a tool for 0:05:45.880 --> 0:05:48.880 a student over the course of his or her education too, 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:52.320 maybe still in a course that they need in the summer. 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:54.560 With an online course, that kind of thing not not 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:58.200 the steady state plan, but a good alternative in the 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:00.680 short term. But when I say good all alternative, it's 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:03.640 not what we're looking at that's out there today. Nobody 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:06.800 would claim that what we're doing now is a good alternative. 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:09.800 It's it's a it's to get us through the problem alternative. 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:12.560 That's it. So we've only get about a minute left 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:14.080 in this segment. But then we're going to bring you 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:18.279 back President trying and so quickly. What are what are 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:23.080 the communications you're you're making to your incoming class, because 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.720 I would imagine that's different from returning students. You're absolutely 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:29.800 right about that, good question. We have had so far 0:06:29.920 --> 0:06:34.320 too admitted students events on a virtual basis. They have 0:06:34.440 --> 0:06:38.560 been attended at almost double the rates are on campus events. 0:06:39.000 --> 0:06:41.840 Our admissions today look pretty flat to last year at 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.640 this time. So there's no question in my mind people 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:48.320 are still in the process. They're probably hoping against hope 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:52.080 that this gets all resolved in a reasonable way. So 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:54.600 but so far, we are working very hard with our 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:57.160 students to say we will have a plan for you 0:06:57.240 --> 0:07:00.479 in the fall. Now I think they're doing what we 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:02.840 expect them to do, which is to keep working at 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:05.640 their best choices, and I think to the extent you 0:07:05.640 --> 0:07:10.560 can do virtual admissions opportunities like this, people are remaining engaged. 0:07:10.800 --> 0:07:14.000 Helen Droning is our guest. She is president of Simmons University. 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:18.360 She's joining us on the phone from Boston. So, you know, President, 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:21.320 you were talking about, you know, the incoming class for 0:07:21.480 --> 0:07:24.880 fall of I am curious though about what this means 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:28.520 for the incoming class of fall of one. Jason and 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:30.520 I both have you know, juniors and seniors. I'm just 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:34.000 curious about we've already heard about. Maybe test scores aren't 0:07:34.040 --> 0:07:37.200 so important. I know my daughter is, you know, concerned 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:40.360 about interviews um the school she's interested in, or reaching 0:07:40.360 --> 0:07:42.760 out to her virtually about you know, do a virtual tour. 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:48.320 But how do you approach that? So I think that 0:07:48.320 --> 0:07:52.640 the gods, Carol, is the class of Ken step back 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:55.520 a little bit, uh and not yet too urgently concerned 0:07:55.560 --> 0:07:59.320 about this as they watch how this goes through. Unfortunately, 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:02.600 the class that would graduate in this year and the 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:05.720 class that would enter in this fall both are going 0:08:05.760 --> 0:08:07.960 to be the ones that are the test cases. And 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:10.960 as you can imagine, the disappointment around the end of 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:15.080 year is just awful and uh, There are no easy 0:08:15.120 --> 0:08:17.680 answers to that, because you don't you know, you know, 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:23.040 you can't remake the experience of the moment right here. 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:26.000 You can't redo it now, that's right, that's right. So 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:31.280 I would say the class of take any opportunity that 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:35.480 comes along, a virtual opportunity, physical opportunity, when that day comes. 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.520 Take any of these opportunities, because I think what's happening 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:42.320 now is your all of us are showcasing how much 0:08:42.360 --> 0:08:44.120 can we offer to a student. How much can we 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:46.800 offer a student flexibility? How much can we offer a 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:49.720 student the kinds of services that you would expect on campus, 0:08:49.760 --> 0:08:52.920 even if you're not on campus. How flexible are we 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:56.240 in addressing the questions and concerns you have relative to 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:59.000 what we already think you're gonna worry about. I think 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:02.400 it's a great opper time opportunity to be a consumer 0:09:02.440 --> 0:09:05.880 if you're in the class of Yeah, I do think. 0:09:05.920 --> 0:09:08.600 I do think that, um, you're going to see such 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:12.800 a wide variety of responses from different colleges and universities. 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.240 They can learn an awful lot in this process. It 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:17.439 does seem like that, I mean, that's certainly how we're 0:09:17.440 --> 0:09:19.720 trying to spend it with our junior in high school. UM, 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:21.920 so president trying to I have to ask you, and 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:24.920 we've had some really interesting conversations with the number of 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:29.880 university presidents about this. What's the effect on a on 0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:33.520 a you know, one year old sort of going through 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:35.760 I mean, this is traumatic in a lot of ways. 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.120 You alluded to that a minute ago. I mean, you 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:42.520 can't get this moment back. How do we help them? Well, 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:46.280 you know, we all in higher education are extremely aware 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.440 of the burden this is placing our students. And it's 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:51.640 not a surprise to either of you. I'm sure that 0:09:51.720 --> 0:09:56.720 you are very aware already. That's a level of anxiety, depression, 0:09:56.720 --> 0:10:00.120 and other associated mental health issues on college campus is 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:03.720 today is a major concern long before we were worried 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.800 about coronavirus or you know, or or the pandemic so 0:10:08.080 --> 0:10:12.000 um for example. In our case, we have maintained our 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.920 health center and our counseling center, and students do, indeed 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:18.720 stay in touch with the therapists that they've been working 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.560 with or the health care providers that they've been working with, 0:10:21.640 --> 0:10:24.720 and we will provide that to that opportunity to students 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:27.760 if they find that a useful alternative when they're not 0:10:27.880 --> 0:10:31.040 physically present for as long as they're students, which will 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.040 obviously end in the May semester, I mean in the 0:10:34.080 --> 0:10:37.439 May time frame. So I know many, many, many colleges 0:10:37.440 --> 0:10:40.480 and universities are doing the same thing. Um. Lots of 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:43.480 schools are doing check in. They have their student life 0:10:43.520 --> 0:10:47.080 staff calling students, especially students that they know had a 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:50.959 difficult time leaving campus because you know, there was no preparation. 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:53.200 There was no opportunity to say, but how do I 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:55.800 get home? As these are my circumstances, and most of 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:59.280 us have retained some portion of our students on campus 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:02.480 are off campus but under our supervision, because they just 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:05.320 couldn't I mean, they couldn't go home. Yeah, the international 0:11:05.360 --> 0:11:07.640 students could not get out of the country in many cases, 0:11:08.200 --> 0:11:11.199 so there was no option. So we've had to maintain 0:11:11.679 --> 0:11:14.520 all of these services and sports systems to the greatest 0:11:14.559 --> 0:11:18.920 ability virtually that we possibly can. I think it is um. 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:23.000 You know, it's such a loss to not complete your 0:11:23.040 --> 0:11:28.120 senior Psychologically, it's a loss. It's um socially, such an 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:30.680 enormous loss because even if we plan, which certainly we 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:33.840 do in many other places, do an alternative event in 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:36.760 the future when we can do it, you know for 0:11:36.840 --> 0:11:39.560 sure not all those classmates will be able to make that. 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:42.560 Life goes on and it will never be the experience 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:44.600 they helped for. So that the grief about this is 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:48.280 pretty profound, and it's and it's natural and normal. Yeah, 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:50.760 I've got to say from someone who I deferred for semesters, 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:53.480 who started in January and then I of course graduate 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:56.080 in December, it's just not the same experience. I know that, 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:59.120 And it's certainly not on the magnitude of what everybody's 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:02.520 going through now, but you certainly miss something in the experience, 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:05.719 and I know that. Um. One last question just got 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:08.040 about forty five seconds. How do you think when we 0:12:08.080 --> 0:12:10.240 get on the other side of this our world will 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:15.560 be changed? I actually think, Carol, if we're smart, we 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:19.319 will have learned so much about how to be better 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:21.360 in the work that we do and better in our 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:25.280 relationships with people that will use things like all these 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:29.720 technologies we have to their best advantage rather than sometimes 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:33.400 to the lowest common common denominate or worst advantage. And 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.880 I also think that people will have such a greater 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:40.600 appreciation for in the moment relationships that they will never 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.240 take them for granted. Again. Well, this is a great 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:45.240 way to end. And I have to say Gloria Larson, 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:47.840 former president of Bentley University, a friend of mine and 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:49.839 a friend of Bloomberg, who has been on this air 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:52.360 a lot, you know, said we've got to talk to you, 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:55.120 and she was so right. So thank you so much. 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.360 I know this is a hard time for everyone, but 0:12:57.480 --> 0:12:59.840 I feel like your words will certainly stay with all 0:12:59.840 --> 0:13:02.160 of us and certainly our listeners. Helen Joyn and thank you. 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:05.360 Thank you, President of Simmons University joining us on the 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:08.360 phone from Boston. I have to say the conversations that 0:13:08.400 --> 0:13:11.960 we've had with heads of colleges and universities, Jason, have 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:15.320 been um, just fantastic and at least of the best 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:19.360 we've had. Absolutely very thoughtful about where we are today, 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:21.920 and it's interesting to, you know, to think about sort 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:24.120 of the commonalities but also some of the differences, you know, 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:27.000 depending on their populations and depending on what they're doing.