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.