What Can Academic Leaders Learn from the Coronavirus?

When I was a young Boy Scout the scout motto “Be Prepared” was drilled into my head. The message I received was that you never know what is going to happen so you better develop a set of life skills that you could practice and put into practice when unexpectedly needed. As an adult I realized that the only constant in life was that it will continue to change and that if I wanted to continue to grow and develop as a successful adult I needed to be willing to change with the times. Last year I took an interim assignment at a college and spent most of my time there trying to make people aware of the reality of their current situation and changing trends in higher education that would impact enrollment, student demographics, their financial situation, and adjustments in teaching and learning modalities. A year later that college is realizing that my ideas were not so far-fetched and that they have benefited from the changes that were implemented.

Today, the world is in a panic over the pandemic brought about by the Coronavirus. Countries are shutting down. Travel restrictions are being imposed. World economies are suffering. Commerce is halting globally. Sporting, entertainment and social events are being canceled or postponed. Schools are extending spring breaks and some are moving to a completely online modality. Individuals are encouraged to practice social distancing, personal sanitary habits and discouraged from shaking hands, touching their face or getting too close to someone who appears ill. Normal day-to-day life is being altered dramatically. So, what can academic leaders learn from all of this, what should they be concerned about and what future actions should they take.

In times like these leaders must step up and take command. Your stakeholders are looking for firm and solid direction and they expect their leaders will deliver a plan of action that will lead them out of danger. Leaders must be decisive, truthful and open. They need to gather together a team of experts who can help develop their plan and put it into action. They need to constantly communicate to all stakeholders to alleviate any fears and prevent panic or actions that can cause further disruption and danger. Leaders need to lead …effectively, decisively and quickly.

One of the first lessons that the Coronavirus is teaching us is that there is much that happens in this world that we cannot control, anticipate and do anything about. Somewhere in the world some human came in contact with an animal that was infected with the virus and created a chain reaction that spread across the entire globe. Who could have predicted this, who could have anticipated this and who could have controlled this…no one!  Various countries have implemented containment and mitigation strategies but most were too little and too late. When we see what’s happening with this pandemic, changing weather patterns, increases in gun violence, declining enrollments and all of the other issues the world and higher education has experienced academic leaders are challenged like never before. Leaders must ensure that they, their institutions and their staffs are prepared for any and all emergencies that can and may occur. Colleges, universities and schools must develop and practice policies and procedures for any and all types of emergencies so that when disaster strikes there is no delay or confusion in implementation.

One of the main challenges this pandemic is presenting us with is uncertainty as most of us have never dealt with anything like this before. The world is seeing this virus spread so quickly and so widely and so little is known about how to prevent or cure it.  Leaders will need to demonstrate a calmness that will help to allay any feeling of panic that may arise in their students, faculty and staff. Stakeholders will look to leaders for reassurance during these uncertain times that their educational future is in good hands and academic success towards graduation will be assured. All of their stakeholders will be looking to their leaders for honest and regular communication and leadership. Stakeholders want a clear plan of action that they can follow knowing exactly what their role is and what will be expected of them. Are you ready to provide calm, directed, straightforward and decisive direction?

Schools are important gathering centers for their communities.  Not only do students gather for   learning and training but also for social support and networking. The community at large also relies on school facilities for community meetings, support of competitive academic or sporting events, community education and training and other public gatherings. Messages from governmental and health authorities calling for social distancing presents a challenge for educational institutions and communities at large by preventing community and academic gatherings for various uses. How will this isolation impact your ability to stay connected to your students and your communities and other stakeholders, not to mention the additional revenue streams these events may provide?

In keeping with the call for social distancing, many institutions have decided to suspend in person classes. This presents a whole host of challenges for student learning and persistence. Are all of your courses in an online or blended format. Is faculty adequately trained and prepared to teach in an online modality? Are students prepared to learn in an online modality and do they have the proper technological resources, equipment and bandwidth to adequately participate? How will you meet this challenge?

The majority of today’s students work in addition to attending school. Some are working full-time and attending school on a part-time basis. Many students live on campus. Where will they go if classes are canceled indefinitely and how will you keep them safe in the face of an emergency. Many students are living on a shoestring and do not have the resources to house of feed themselves without financial assistance. Many are parents with young children. How will they care for their children if their child’s school is canceled and their full- or part-time job is decreased or eliminated. What impact will this pandemic or any other emergency have on the mental or emotional state of your students, not to mention your employees or yourself? Plans and resources to deal with all of these situations must be addressed. Do you have connections and agreements with state and local government agencies, community assistance agencies, local medical and mental health providers, shelters and food banks, banks and lending agencies, police, fire and emergency services and local employers?

What will an emergency of this type do to your financial situation? Have you made plans and provisions for increased emergency expenditures and potential lost revenue? Colleges, universities and schools will be using necessary budgetary resources and may see endowments and donations decrease during a prolonged emergency. When all is said and done and the impending emergency ebbs will your students return and if not, how will you make up for lost tuition revenue? How will you compensate your faculty and staff during the emergency? What contingency funds are available in case of an emergency? It is projected that this pandemic will put many institutions out of business or severely cripple them financially. Will your institution be one of them?

With the pandemic or any other emergency one question that arises is how long with this event last. As I write this article no one knows the severity or the duration of the Coronavirus. Currently, there is no known cure or vaccine or even projections on how many cases will emerge. Some predict that a vaccine will not be available for public use for at least a year to a year and a half. Can your institution sustain itself for that period of time? More importantly, can your students? 

Job one for academic leaders is to ensure the safety of their students, faculty, staff and institutions. Going forward, however, leaders must develop a plan for the future. It’s quite possible that many schools will not survive this pandemic. Education as we know it today will be outmoded and new modalities and methodologies will need to be developed, enhanced and implemented on a broad scale. Those that do survive will need to develop plans that address the needs of their communities. It is projected that many people will lose their jobs and many industries might collapse. It will be important that quick, inexpensive, and effective methods of preparing students for new employment opportunities be developed and implemented. Schools will need to be innovative and nimble to meet this need.

The Coronavirus is presenting the world with a unique set of problems that we have never seen at a level we have never experienced. We are challenged to develop effective strategies that can be put into practice immediately to protect our students, our communities and our institutions. Academic leaders are diligently working to solve their unique challenges and problems and ensure that their students can remain on a successful path towards completion and success. Leaders must also work to ensure the sustainability of their institutions in the face of the fiscal issues they will face. Hopefully as this world-wide emergency continues to develop leaders will share successful strategies they have found useful in overcoming their unique challenges. Tough times are when leaders are challenged to show what they are made of. True leaders rise to the top in the face of disaster and emergency, take command and empower and lead their teams to find a way to weather the storm and guide their institutions through the crisis. Are you up to the challenge and will you use the lessons learned through this pandemic to guide your institution through future emergencies not to mention the aftermath of this pandemic?  Your students, your faculty, your staff, your stakeholders and your communities are counting on you. Good luck.