The Higher Education Ecosystem
The ecosystem is a cornerstone of understanding relationships between organisms and their environment. Ecosystems are made up of interacting organisms and the physical environment. Higher education is no different. From instructors to graduate students, administrators and administrative assistants, all the way to physical plant workers and students, higher education is a menagerie of different actors. Beyond the people, institutions of higher learning are made of material entities like dorms, classrooms, office spaces, student unions, health services, and numerous centers that perform a variety of functions. These systems are interconnected through technologies, modes of communication, cultural histories and traditions, and knowledge recognized as legitimate across the academic disciplines. Like natural ecosystems, the higher education ecosystem relies on each factor to operate at full capacity or the system will be less resilient or even collapse all together.
One factor that can result in the destruction of an ecosystem in nature is the introduction of an invasive species. In our case, COVID-19 is the invasive species. It is introducing new pressures that must be responded to. It is also highlighting the vulnerabilities that already existed in our ecosystem of higher education. In our ecosystem the goal is to help students learn; therefore, when elements of our ecosystem falter, the potential for student learning decreases. Therefore, it is our job to identify the weaknesses in our ecosystem and find new, creative ways to help our cornerstone, the students, thrive. Without them and their learning, our ecosystem will cease to exist.