Each year, Campus Safety publishes a range of stories both online and in our print magazine that relate to the hospital, K-12 and higher education security industries. However, 2020 felt…different, to say the least. Understandably so, it seemed like nearly every other article focused on keeping Campus Safety readers informed on the latest developments regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

Although these updates were necessary and often provided useful insight on the significant effects the pandemic has had on higher education campuses, as a result, many helpful articles that focused on other campus security issues that colleges and universities are facing did not receive the attention we felt they deserved.

For our end-of-the-year round-up of the most popular higher education articles, we decided to weed out many of the current event articles that were already recapped in our monthly top stories posts and primarily focus on popular stories that are informative but can also be used to implement important changes on college and university campuses beyond the pandemic.

View 2020’s Top Educational Higher Ed Articles

Not surprisingly, three out of the 10 most popular educational articles in 2020 focused on Title IX and the Clery Act. In August, new Title IX rules went into effect, forcing campuses to make significant changes. Compounding this significant change was the uncertainty of navigating a pandemic and how to continue Title IX investigations while colleges and universities were largely shut down.

Clery reporting has also been significantly impacted by the pandemic, particularly as it relates to emergency notification requirements. Due to institutions of higher education and their students facing unprecedented challenges, the Department of Education pushed back the deadline for submitting Annual Security Reports (ASRs) and Annual Fire Safety Reports (AFSRs) from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.

Another popular topic among higher education professionals this year was university police. Many campuses have made significant changes to campus policing due to both the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest throughout the country regarding police brutality and systemic racism.

While 2020 has been a difficult year for most, we are confident that those in charge of keeping campuses safe will take the many challenges we have faced this year, learn from them, and implement changes that will make a lasting impact.

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