Thriving as a Lens for Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education Faculty, Staff, and Students

Abstract

This chapter provides details of both the student thriving model and the socially embedded model of thriving at work. Both models place an onus on higher education institutions for ensuring that members of the community thrive. The chapter considers how these models might apply to a clearer understanding of how students, staff, and faculty at the University of Utah managed the transition to online learning, teaching, and work during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the joint effort necessary for thriving to occur, the chapter explores whether thriving is even possible during a time of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It describes participants' experiences of loss of community;lack of information and acknowledgement of effort;deep learning and adaptation;anger, frustration, joy, and gratitude;and feelings of success and failure. In many cases, elements of thriving were present in these experiences, but the University of Utah was clearly limited in its ability to provide conditions for thriving as the entire campus moved to an online modality. Additionally, many participants experienced significant challenges to their mental health and well-being, in many cases breaking the cycle of sustaining thriving noted by Spreitzer. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)