Abstract
“What should I be doing when I really don't know what will happen next? What can I learn?” Those are questions higher education leaders should be asking over the next few months about the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic, said Larenda Mielke, Vice President, Higher Education, at Kaufman Hall.
“Right now, people are moving as fast as they can. Decisions are thrust upon them, and they need to make them,” Mielke said. For example, officials pretty quickly have needed to make decisions about refunds for athletics or other expenses. But in the summer, they will need to pull back and create models for how to adjust going forward, perhaps with the help of an organization that specializes in modeling. By around June, it will be time to step back and assess the financial impact of decisions that were made quickly.
And with most classes going online very quickly, including for faculty members who have never taught online, professors are likely to encounter technical problems and other challenges, Mielke said. Administrators should consider that when they review teaching evaluations, she added. But by summer, when leaders make decisions about how to move forward, they should focus on quality control and accreditation standards for online courses, Mielke said.
Where enrollment issues are concerned, officials need to focus on extra follow‐up with students who missed campus visits. For adult students, a huge opportunity exists, she said. Many people are spending more time than usual on social media, so focusing on recruitment through those channels could attract them. The negative is that there's so much uncertainty that people might hesitate to make a commitment to education of a year or two, or even six months, Mielke said. They might take longer to make decisions, but your efforts could pay off later, she said.
Higher education needs leaders more than managers, because leaders will provide a way through the crisis, Mielke said. The CEO Genome Study, a 10‐year study of the characteristics of leaders, is very meaningful to her. It outlines the four characteristics of good leaders:
Have the ability to make decisions. Sometimes you have to make decisions when you don't feel like you have enough data, but it's best to make a decision and adjust later rather than not decide, Mielke said.
Be agile. Communicate that changes might be needed.
Keep stakeholders in balance. Work on getting them what they need.
Deliver results. Continuing leadership is necessary at every point in time — now, through the summer, and into the fall, Mielke said.
Learn more about the CEO Genome Study at https://bit.ly/39d3uqn, https://ceogenome.com/, and https://bit.ly/33Ko0gV.