In theory, government agencies and accrediting bodies have safeguards to protect students from abrupt college closures. Schools at risk of shutting down should be required to prepare smooth transitions for their students. Yet, that is often not the case.

Yvonne Mendez knows this reality firsthand. Mendez was only six months away from graduating with a registered nursing degree from Anamarc College in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, when the school abruptly closed. Even institutions that do provide a few days’ or weeks’ notice often still leave students scrambling to find new ways to finish their degrees.

The economic fallout from the pandemic is expected to have grave consequences for public institutions of higher education, including community colleges that serve primarily Black, Hispanic, and Native American students. 

During a recent online event, leaders of community colleges discussed their work to uphold equity in a crisis, their needs for public funding to meet this moment, and how they are wrestling with the national conversation on racism and police brutality.