WICHITA — The college business model — one that depends on students living on campus and attending classes in person — was broken even before the pandemic.
COVID-19 just made things more obvious.
Classes moved online. Campus buildings and dormitories sat empty. Students flocked home.
And many haven’t returned.
Enrollment at Kansas colleges and universities fell by 8.1% last fall — more than the national average. With continued uncertainty over COVID-19 and the highly contagious delta variant, universities could face the biggest money crisis in their history.
“The pandemic … converged with longer-term challenges facing enrollment,” said Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents.
