Academia as a whole swiftly responded to the pandemic, closing physical campuses and transitioning to remote operations and educational instruction. As some state restrictions are lifting and the prospect of resuming an altered state of operations materializes, what are strategic next steps for higher education?
Consider these strategies for resuming operations to preserve the health and wellness of faculty, staff, and students.
Develop an Integrated Task Force for Next Steps
The purpose of the task force is to address and manage an eventual return to appropriate campus
Engage with Industry Peer Organizations for Best Practices and Programs
Time and resources are both limited and logistically stressed during this pandemic. Other than the CDC’s Interim Guidance for Administrators of U.S. Institutions of Higher Education, there are no additional federal COVID-19 publications available to date specifically for higher education. Engaging with industry peers can ease this burden and avoid “reinventing the wheel” for best practices and programs. Clients reported benefitting immensely from these pandemic resources and connecting with peers through organizations such as University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA) and Campus Safety, Health & Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA).
Formulate Detailed, Flexible Scenario Reopening Plans
Consider a broad range of operational scenarios that may be dictated by local or state public health departments. Scenario plans, ranging from fully remote operations to complete campus re-immersion, should include both short-term and long-term strategies, including plans for repopulation of the campus, monitoring health conditions, containment and additional shutdown(s), if necessary. Clients have shared that creating a continuum of phased reopening scenario plans have enabled them to quickly adapt and respond more effectively to new state directives.
Determine Campus “Gateway” Reopening Prerequisites
Organizations should consider state guideline prerequisites when developing scalable health monitoring and virus containment scenario plans. These could range from establishing target numbers for community sustained infections and non-increasing new hospitalizations and infection rates to sufficient physical space(s) allocated for proper isolation and quarantine of confirmed infected students on campus.
Refer to Other State and/or Peer Guidelines in Moving Forward
Additional state post-secondary guidelines are being developed. Clients have found the state guideline documents, along with national peer organizations’ resources, very valuable in developing and customizing their reopening plans.