Dear John,
What comes next?

It’s on my mind every day. I suspect it’s on yours. After a year of unprecedented loss and challenge, many of us are trying to envision a return to something approximating normalcy. The contours are foggy. What will “normal” look like? What will snap back into place, and what will have been altered in lasting ways?

For higher education and the people it serves, the stakes are high. In 2020, The Chronicle newsroom dedicated itself to tracking the role of colleges in a public-health crisis, the consequences of hasty moves online and campus reopenings, the personal and institutional tolls of a financial upheaval, and the sector’s response to a national awakening on racial justice and the rise of existential threats to American democracy. There’s much more to be written on all these fronts, and we’ll continue to write it.

But this year, we’re more committed than ever to journalism that helps you peer around the corner — to take stock of what’s next and to prepare for it. That’s the mission of this year’s edition of our annual Trends Report, which sets out to answer a question posed by Jenny Ruark, our deputy managing editor: “When the pandemic has finally passed, what will higher education look like?” A few of the answers: Shrunken scholarly ranks. New forms of student surveillance. And a “great contraction” that will seize all but the wealthiest colleges and universities.

Whether you’re a professor or a provost, whether you focus on student retention or research policy, there’s insight here for you. Since you’ve already registered as a Chronicle reader, you can read free articles this month, and every month. Want to go deeper? I’d invite you to consider a subscription. You’ll get unlimited access to the articles and essays we publish, our Daily Briefing newsletter, and a credit to the Chronicle Store.

Thanks much for your engagement and interest. We couldn’t do our work without you.

Brock Read
Editor
The Chronicle of Higher Education
1255 Twenty-Third St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy