How is the coronavirus impacting colleges and universities?

Over the last two months, the specter of the novel coronavirus loomed for colleges and universities in the U.S., though they were largely unaffected — save for some that had to close international campuses and cancel study abroad trips.  In the last week, however, the dynamic has shifted as the virus and the respiratory infection it causes, COVID-19, spreads in the U.S. On Wednesday, officials at the World Health Organization said the situation is now a pandemic. Dozens of colleges in the U.S. are canceling in-person classes and events and are taking instruction online. Some institutions are even asking students to leave campus, telling them it's uncertain when they'll be able to return. (For more details on cancellations, see this crowd-sourced list created by Bryan Alexander, a researcher and senior scholar at Georgetown University.)