Crisis Management Essentials for Today’s Educators: Maintaining Calm in the Chaos

OVERVIEW
Crises at higher education institutions are increasingly a part of today’s landscape. Examples such as mishandling of sexual violence cases, student protest/activism, natural disasters (i.e., fires, hurricanes), campus safety incidents, and institutional closures/mergers are common news items. And these issues do not appear to be diminishing. Holzweiss and Walker (2018) noted that Mitroff and Pauchant’s predictions of “high profile crises…would increase around the country…have proven accurate for higher education in the contemporary age” (p. 125).

Newer professionals are frequently on the frontline for crisis events – both large and small – on a college campus, but how prepared do you feel to respond during crisis? This webinar will address understanding your role in crisis response, and, using a modified tabletop case scenario, provide opportunity to apply steps necessary in addressing a crisis. Participants will gain an understanding of the crisis response skills needed and insights on how to prepare now for responding during crisis in their professional future.

For those unfamiliar with the idea of a tabletop, they are trainings led by a facilitator, where individuals are assigned emergency management roles, and provided a set of circumstances and changing information to problem solve and make decisions to bring the event to a conclusion (Brunner & Lewis, 2006). These exercises provide participants with skill development in rapid decision-making, following protocols, and adaptability as the situation changes.

BRIEF OUTLINE

1. What is crisis?
   1. Crisis versus critical incident
   2. Examples of higher education crisis
   3. Brief review of the literature
      1. Crisis models/frameworks
      2. Crisis response approaches
2. Developing crisis response skills
   1. What are tabletop trainings and how do they work?
   2. Modified tabletop case scenario activity
3. How to prepare self and others
   1. Tabletops and other training
   2. Unpacking campus response plans
4. Q&A/Closing
   1. Action step to take to further prepare yourself

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Determine if a situation is a critical incident or crisis to aid response
• Identify how to find their own institution plan
• Understand what crisis response might look like for their particular position and department/office
• Develop initial skills, knowledge for response to crisis
• Plan for how to share their learning with others

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

• New and mid-level professionals across a wide array of higher education/student affairs areas interested in developing understanding and initial skills related to their role in responding to crisis.
• This webinar is also appropriate for graduate students in higher education preparation programs.

Brenda McKenzie is an Associate Professor of the Practice, Higher Education Administration at Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development and has worked in higher education for over 30 years She incorporates crisis leadership skill development into a practice of student affairs course as well as teaching a one-weekend Ed.D. course on crisis leadership. She is currently completing a research study on the crisis leadership experiences of female-identified higher education leaders and the role of gender in their experiences. Her experiences supporting institutional crisis responses include tornados, student protests and demonstrations, student deaths, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kelsey Johansen is Director of Student Life at Nashville State Community College. She has over a decade worth of experience coordinating events, managing logistics, and troubleshooting on the fly for institutions of higher education large and small, public and private. A childhood, college experience, and professional career filled with historic weather events, emergency incidents, and a pandemic has allowed for Kelsey’s appreciation for chaos to evolve into a calm, informed, and rapid response. As part of her doctoral research, Kelsey committed much of her time to the study of preparation, response, and effects of crises within university environments. Since graduating, she has presented on emergency response multiple times and advocates for preparedness at all levels of the institution.