Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether the institutional presence of public health faculty within colleges and universities influenced operational plans for the fall semester of 2020. Using cross-sectional data collected by the College Crisis Initiative of Davidson College, six levels of instructional modalities (ranked from least to most restrictive) were compared between Council on Education of Public Health (CEPH)-accredited and non-CEPH-accredited 4-year institutions. Institutions with CEPH-accredited schools and programs were more likely to select some restrictive teaching modalities: 63.8% more likely to use hybrid/hyflex or more restrictive and 66.9% more likely to be primarily online (with some in person) or more restrictive. However, having CEPH-accredited programs did not push institutions to the most restrictive modalities. COVID-19 cases in county, enrollment, and political affiliation of the state governor were also found to influence instructional modality selection. While any ecological study has certain limitations, this study demonstrates that college and university fall plans appear to have been influenced by the presence of CEPH-accredited schools and programs of public health, and/or the input of their faculty. The influence of relevant faculty expertise on institutional decision-making can help inform college and university responses to future crises.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Footnotes
Biographical Notes: David Johnson, PhD: Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences
Meredith Cahill: Graduate Student, Department of Epidemiology, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences
Sara Choate: Doctoral Candidate, Department of Health Management and Systems Sciences, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences
David Roelfs, PhD: Associate Professor, Department of Sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Louisville
Sarah Walsh, PhD: Associate Professor, School of Health Sciences, Eastern Michigan University