Date of Award
12-2020
Degree Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Department
School of Professional Studies
Chief Instructor
Mary Piecewicz
Keywords
MPA, higher education, Clark University, COVID-19, pandemic, responses to crisis
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered an existential challenge to universities and other academic institutions at a time when they are already grappling with other weighty issues that may alter the fabric of higher education. COVID-19 has forced these institutions to consider and employ new ways of conducting its work with a sense urgency that is unprecedented in the recent history of the academy. The rate of learning around these models is rapid, and Higher Education is ripe for change.
Clark University has addressed the pandemic with a plan to protect and pivot using strategies that support the continuation of its core enterprises. Leadership, planning, tactical framework, digital capacity, and communication are essential elements of this plan. The University has pursed this work with a focus on adaptability for all solutions, and a commitment to provide wellness resources for all in the Clark community. It has also strived to support its most vulnerable students.
Some universities, as well as businesses and other organizations, will not survive the economic pressures that COVID-19 imposes. Many argue that this pandemic is a once in a hundred years public health event. However, the academic community will surely face other significant crises. Studying the successes and failures will yield important learnings that could be applied to future landscape of Higher Education and elsewhere.
Recommended Citation
Gillingham, Lisa, "Higher Education Responses to Crisis: A Case Study of Clark University and the Pandemic of 2020" (2020). School of Professional Studies. 61.
https://commons.clarku.edu/sps_masters_papers/61
Worcester
Yes
Included in
Business and Corporate Communications Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Health Policy Commons, Human Resources Management Commons, Information Security Commons, Management Information Systems Commons, Marketing Commons, Nonprofit Administration and Management Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Health Commons, Social Media Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons
