The COVID-19 pandemic has already taken a massive toll on the financial health of America’s colleges and universities. A decline in enrollments, buildings standing empty and unused, and the inability to run athletic programs this past fall have exacerbated a fiscal crisis already facing too many institutions. At my own former campus, Kirkwood Community College, enrollment is down by 7.4 percent from fall 2020 to spring 2021, and current officials don’t expect it to recover overnight.
