Impact of COVID-19 on the campus of William Jewell College by Blane Baker

For students, staff, administration, and faculty at William Jewell College, the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed us—at least temporarily—from a totally on-campus community to one spread over most of the country and even beyond. When the semester began, cases of COVID-19 were confined in the U.S. to the coasts and a few isolated areas, so we had little inkling of what was to come. As a collegiate community, we were kept informed by reading news reports, but we assumed that the pandemic would have little impact on our academic lives.  With the spread of the pandemic to the interior of the U.S. by late February, most of us expected that we would convert to online classes for one or two weeks and then resume our usual routines.

As Spring Break approached, however, health reports became increasingly grim. I remember remarking to one of my colleagues that universities were actually closing for the rest of the semester and converting to all online classes. At that moment, we considered this kind of response to be highly unlikely in our region. But, conditions continued to change dramatically. Initially, we were told that after Spring Break, we would hold classes online for two weeks, and students could return to campus during that time. However, by mid-March, we were informed that all courses would be held online for the rest of the semester, and students would not return to campus, except to retrieve belongings. At the time of this writing, we are administering all online final exams for the first time in college history. Graduation has been postponed until September, and we are preparing for on-campus courses in the fall with the caveat that we must be prepared to convert to online courses at a moment’s notice.

So how are we doing? From my perspective, we have done remarkably well, and, personally, I would like to acknowledge the entire campus community for being resilient, optimistic, and hopeful.

The administration has kept us informed of new developments. It has created several task forces to address plans for re-opening in the fall, recruitment during the pandemic, and academic support and planning for future crises. The Office of Finance secured a $3.27 million forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program. In addition, the college received approximately $800,000 for support of students during the pandemic.

Faculty completely transitioned to online courses during Spring Break with no lapses in the academic schedule. From my understanding, most faculty already used our online course management system, so that most of the changeover focused on converting on-ground courses to ones amenable to our online system. During Spring Break, our extraordinary technology group held several meetings to teach us how to use new tools like Zoom, Loom, and YouTube for teaching courses. I was able to convert my courses relatively well, but I have missed the personal interactions with students.

Staff members have been incredibly strong. Many have continued to work on campus mowing lawns, making repairs, cleaning, and preparing for the fall term. Others have continued their efforts at home to maintain outstanding services for the entire campus community. While they have remained steadfast, they too long for the days when we will have some semblance of traditional campus life.  

Students understandably are disappointed. Not only are they confined mostly at parents’ homes during the pandemic, but they are unable to see their friends in person. They are doing academic work isolated physically from classmates, teachers, and other mentors. All extracurricular events in theatre, music, and sports were canceled with the closure of the college, so many have lost valuable opportunities to engage in their favorite collegiate activities. While they have remained resilient, I can sense their pain and yearning to reengage with their campus community.    

As a higher learning institution, William Jewell College was one of the first to announce a return to on-campus courses for the fall. We are preparing diligently for this outcome, but we also know that a pandemic can change our lives during the course of a few hours. With God’s grace William Jewell College and other institutions will survive this storm and ultimately thrive as a result of these difficult circumstances. Here at Jewell, we remain strong and ready to continue to embrace the college motto: Deo Fisus Labora—trust in God while working.