COVID means higher education must adapt. UMKC is taking the lead to reimagine its future

Among communities on the rise in the U.S., greater Kansas City offers unmatched potential for growth, prosperity and success. But realizing that potential is not a given. Our future success will require strategic decisions and bold action. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of change and disrupted entire industries. Like many organizations, universities and colleges across the country are racing to position themselves for education and workforce needs that are rapidly changing. Additionally, post-secondary education institutions are facing unprecedented revenue shortfalls because of the pandemic’s impact on enrollment and campus life.

KC Rising is a collaborative effort of organizations across our region — including our colleges and universities — to work together to achieve a vision of shared prosperity. Each year, KC Rising benchmarks our economic progress against 10 of our competitive peer metropolitan areas on several “horizon goals,” such as increasing our regional gross domestic product per job. KC Rising also seeks to grow the share of workers earning a self-sufficient wage in our economy. 

Our success on KC Rising’s horizon goals depends a lot on the impact and dynamism of our region’s institutions of higher education. They add value to communities in several important ways — as generators of talent, sources of research and innovation, drivers of economic development, and as major employers. In addition, community colleges and universities offer students access to economic opportunity. They are a critical resource to advance inclusive prosperity. 

As a sector, higher education conferred more than 54,000 degrees or certificates in the Kansas City region in 2018 and 2019, according to the Mid-America Regional Council. Colleges and universities also employed about 33,000 residents. 

And yet, success in the future will increasingly require higher education institutions to adapt even more rapidly in response to the changing needs of our regional and national economy. The financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic are forcing institutions to grapple with these difficult but necessary strategic choices immediately. 

For example, University of Missouri-Kansas City Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal has launched UMKC Forward, an initiative to fundamentally reimagine the institution’s mission as a public research university in the face of systemic revenue challenges. He has recognized that the university requires an intensive focus on areas of excellence and the most vital workforce, research and health care needs of our community.

In an era of limited resources for higher education, UMKC, like many universities around the country, must identify key areas and programs for investment and growth — and cut budgets and programs elsewhere to free up the resources for these investments. This will be difficult, but it will be necessary for the university to fulfill its mission. 

Higher education institutions that make these choices will be able to generate new technologies from research to fuel private sector growth and entrepreneurship, and will better prepare a capable and innovative workforce for the entire region. Institutions that move quickly, intently and thoughtfully to adapt at a time when all of higher education has been disrupted by COVID-19 will be best positioned for an inclusive recovery. 

As UMKC and other educational institutions go through this difficult process, they deserve and need our support. Our region must have strong, dynamic post-secondary institutions that help fuel an inclusive regional economy. Together, the Kansas City region will rise toward an even brighter future for all.

This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "COVID means higher education must adapt. UMKC is taking the lead to reimagine its future."