Evolving Challenges in Student Activism

This briefing is designed to help inform institutional leadership about the evolving challenges in student activism and provide five key recommendations to better prepare for and respond to activism when it emerges on campus.

Surges in student activism are an ongoing challenge for colleges and universities and EAB research indicates activism will only increase in 2021 and beyond. Forces like the COVID-19 pandemic, the international fight for racial justice, and an increasingly polarized political climate have only intensified activism on campus and increased pressure on institutions to provide fast, thorough responses to student concerns.

However, effectively responding to student activism is more complicated than ever before. A willingness among activists to turn to high-pressure tactics online and on campus if demands are not met has heightened the consequences of an insufficient response, sometimes leading to calls for resignations from senior leadership and negative publicity. Responses to activism in the private sector have also created an expectation for rapid, comprehensive responses that institutions often struggle to meet. With the stakes so high, it is critical for senior leadership to adopt a more proactive, transparent approach when preparing for and responding to student activism.

This briefing is designed to help inform institutional leadership about the evolving challenges in student activism and provide five key recommendations to better prepare for and respond to activism when it emerges on campus.

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