Colleges and Universities

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) are enriching environments for students to learn, connect with peers from diverse backgrounds, and develop knowledge and skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Campus environments, including those in which students learn, study, live, and socialize, can also present unique challenges for helping to ensure student health and safety. Adult-aged students living away from their families and community networks rely on professors, faculty, administrators, and staff, who have also been affected by the pandemic, to serve as their campus support systems.

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In response to the pandemic, colleges and universities rapidly formed and implemented plans of action to keep students, professors, faculty, staff, and surrounding campus communities safe. This included making difficult decisions about transitions to virtual learning, restricting campus life and activities, and remaining flexible to accommodate the unique needs of their students and provide supports where needed. Now, as IHEs work to support their communities in recovering from the impacts of the pandemic, they must continue to provide emotional safety and mental health supports for students and staff, ensure the provision of equitable access to higher education, and maintain safety procedures to protect all individuals on campus.

The resources on this page share guidance for supporting students; maintaining safe and healthy environments; and ensuring teacher, faculty, and staff well-being, professional development, and supports that are specific to colleges and universities. IHEs, professors, faculty, staff, other providers of postsecondary education, and States may use these best practices and lessons learned to inform their strategies for responding to students’, professors’, faculty’s, and staff’s needs throughout the pandemic recovery process.

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Designing and Delivering Career Pathways at Community Colleges: A Practice Guide for Educators

This guide provides community college administrators, educators, and staff with recommendations for designing and implementing high-quality career pathways that equip students with occupational skills.

Office of Early Childhood Development: An Office of the Administration for Children & Families — Examples of State & Local ECE Workforce Recruitment & Retention Strategies

This page provides State and local examples of strategies to recruit and retain the early childhood education workforce, including use of relief funds to support efforts.

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Submit Your Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Have a lessons learned or best practice for helping colleges and universities recover from the pandemic? Visit the Best Practices Submission page to view details on submission requirements, and then e-mail Bestpracticesclearinghouse@ed.gov to share your lessons learned or best practice.

Provide Feedback

Have feedback to share on a resource accessed on the Clearinghouse site? We want to hear from you. Select the button below to share your feedback with the U.S. Department of Education and the Clearinghouse team.

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Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education

This report shares strategies that institutions can adopt to promote greater access to educational opportunities for underserved students. Insights are shared from leading community colleges, regional colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions.

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Apprenticeship.gov - Post-Secondary Education

ApprenticeshipUSA provides colleges and universities with resources that support creating professional opportunities for their students. These resources help in expanding their students’ employer base, creating effective partnerships, and curating diverse talent.

Submit Your Lessons Learned and Best Practices

Have a lessons learned or best practice for helping colleges and universities recover from the pandemic? Visit the Best Practices Submission page to view details on submission requirements, and then e-mail Bestpracticesclearinghouse@ed.gov to share your lessons learned or best practice.

Provide Feedback

Have feedback to share on a resource accessed on the Clearinghouse site? We want to hear from you. Select the button below to share your feedback with the U.S. Department of Education and the Clearinghouse team.

View Resources