In March 2020, I sent out a curated list of the very best resources I have seen for leading higher education in a global pandemic to a list of college presidents I am or have worked with as a coach and consultant. A few hours later, I came across two more excellent resources I wish I had sent them. Rather than send them numerous emails, I am curating the list here in an on-going fashion for them and sharing it with anyone else who might find it helpful. Please feel let me know if you have outstanding resources to add to this list. This list has been updated to shift focus from Fall 2020 plans and opening decisions to leading higher ed in this pandemic beyond.
Updated October 15, 2020
Permanent Budget Cuts Are Coming by Robert Kechen
The economic impacts of this pandemic and its mismanagement will far exceed the social distancing and mask wearing in higher ed and beyond.
‘From Equity Talk to Equity Walk’
An in-depth summary of the new book on the data of systemic racism, communicating about it, systemic approaches, and the importance of and no easy answers of culture change.
Charting a Path Forward by Steven Mintz
Solid tips for moving clarifying and reinvesting in your core purpose to move forward through and beyond the multiple crises and unprecedented uncertainty we are facing (health, economy, politics, racism, and more).
Spring Planning Has Begun. Here’s What Colleges Are Thinking So Far.
Less optimistic predications on testing, treatment, and compliance than we had four months ago is leading to earlier decisions to go online for spring.
What if Everyone on Campus Understood the Money? by Allison Vaillancourt
A great call for leaders to not only be transparent but to educate the campus community for a more informed shared governance. An excellent list of questions to guide that explanation.
Half the reason for college is missing now by Greg M. Epstein
A good reminder of the value of college life beyond the classroom.
Who Leads Colleges After COVID-19?
How are you investing in your leadership team? Numerous college presidents weigh in on what is needed for leading now and into the future. “Leadership matters,” said Beverly Daniel Tatum, former president of Spelman College. “We know that leadership matters. And whatever the situation is, it will be worse if the leadership is ineffective.”
Higher Education Remade by COVID-19: Scenarios for Resilient Leaders: 3-5 Years from Deloitte Center for Higher Education Excellence
This 18 page highly visual PDF outlines four different scenarios with robust predictions and recommendations for higher education leaders related to finance, student experience, equity, and more.
Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful by Tara Haelle
This isn’t specific to higher ed, but it reflects a pattern I am seeing in many of my higher ed clients. I’m talking to many high achievers who were fine and even over-performing until end of June/July when they started hitting the wall – or as described here exhausting their “surge capacity.” Great tips too.
Five Key Skills New Presidents Will Need by Katherine Haley and Tom Horgan
Helpful suggestions for college presidents and leaders of all kinds in navigating the emotional, financial, educational, and leadership decisions.
Rethinking Effective Student Learning Experiences by Patrick Terenzini
Recommendations relevant for both classroom and beyond the classroom learning. These are good guides for in-person, socially distanced, and virtual engagement.
Post-Pandemic College: 10 Guidelines for Getting There by William Tierney
10 practical suggestions for higher education beyond COVID-19. Major disruptions can be opportunities for us to evolve in new, exciting, and just ways.
Leveraging the Neuroscience of Now by Mays Imad
A powerful description of trauma that many students and the rest of us may have experienced or are experiencing along with seven equity and neuroscience based recommendations including intersectionality, anti-racist pedagogy, and the power of hope.
Coronavirus May Never Go Away, Even with a Vaccine from Washington Post
Sobering. “Leaders desperately need to shift their response from short-term crisis management to long-term solutions.”
“Contrast that with people who have lost someone to drunk driving,” he said. “It mobilizes them and becomes a cause for them. Eventually, everyone is going to know someone who got infected or died from this virus. That’s what it may take.” – Michael T. Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
Are You Struggling to Make Decisions? by Allison Vaillancourt
Wise advice with tangible actions and guidance. “Outsiders, without personal agendas to protect, can help working groups consider a broad range of possibilities, move past the inclination to consider binary options, and generally reach smarter conclusions.”
How the Coronavirus Will Change Faculty Life Forever by Bryan Alexander
A thoughtful and measured prediction for higher education in 2021.
How to Bridge the Mutual Distrust Between Leaders and Professors Amid COVID-19 by Carolyn Dever and George Justice
Advice on how to lead, decide, and communicate with well done shared governance in uncertain times. Tip: avoid simplified maniacal caricatures of the other side of faculty/admin divide.
Beating Pandemic Burnout by Rebecca Pope-Ruarck
Useful recommendations for leaders of all kinds to avoid burnout. Get grounded in your values & purpose and move forward with compassion, connection, & an integrated life.
Might this Be the Beginning of Education? by Paul Hanstedt
Reflections about what this moment reveals about shifts long needed for both curriculum & teaching.
6 Domains of Knowledge for College Leaders During Crisis Times by Jason E. Lane
These 6 domains are a useful framework for leadership of all kinds, with lots of good concrete examples for higher education.
Productivity and Happiness Under Sustained Disaster Conditions by Aisha S. Ahmed
Terrific insights and recommendations in this follow-up essay building on the wonderful perspective in the article listed below.
5 Ways to Transform the Workplace in a Post-COVID-19 World by Allison Vaillancourt
Vaillancourt offers clear and succinct suggestions on leadership and the changing nature of higher education as a workplace.
Why You Should Ignore All the Coronovirus Inspired Productivity Pressure by Aisha S. Ahmed
Ahmed shares thoughtful, informed, and wise perspective on how we as humans navigate crises.
