Impact of the Pandemic

As the world entered a second year of maneuvering COVID-19, ongoing discussions of variants, vaccines and grim milestones such the one reported by Johns Hopkins University in November 2021 with more than 5 million global deaths are reminders that the pandemic still dictates much of our current experiences.

But it is the exposure of societal divisions and vulnerabilities in key industries and workforces that have created a climate ripe for permanent change.

In response, USF researchers from the Sarasota-Manatee campus looked to the past for context, the present for inspiration and the future for solutions.

One project incorporated previous studies that predicted the unprecedented losses in the hospitality and travel industries to create expanded skills programs for workers.

To underscore this, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport President and CEO Rick Piccolo answers questions about the airport’s unprecedented general aviation and commercial operations growth in just three years and during a pandemic. He also talks about why he is confident the upward trend will continue through 2022, and how the airport and campus share a goal to create and leverage high-demand skills and high-paying job opportunities.

Campus researchers also teamed with other academics to explore increasingly high levels of fear of police within the Black community during COVID-19.

And as mask mandates are debated and evaluated around the country, researchers examine how geography and politics have become the deciding factors – not necessarily science – on whether or not to mask up throughout the United States.

Researchers also outline how COVID-19 forever altered how businesses and their salespeople connect with customers.

Lastly, learn how a professor’s podcast kept research faculty in touch with resources and experts during the pandemic.