Navigating Crisis in Higher Education

Dr. Jitendra Singh is an Associate Dean, Professor, Head of Department and Director in the School of Health Professions at Mississippi State University Meridian. Prior to his current role, he served as a Professor, Chair, and Director of Healthcare Management and Leadership Programs at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He is widely recognized for his work in interprofessional education, online education, Lean principles in education, the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare, and process improvement within healthcare settings. Chris J Shannon has over 20 years of experience as a manager and leader in higher education. He currently manages a large medical research facility in Brisbane, Australia. He is the author of Collaborative Problem Solving: A Guide to Improving Your Workplace.

Congratulations to Dr. Singh and Mr. Shannon for editing this important book that chronicles how higher education survived the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis challenged higher education systems and institutions, both public and private. This multi-faceted analysis helps us learn from this crisis, better preparing higher education to be resilient and survive future crises.Dr Timothy Downs, President, Minnesota State University – MoorheadThroughout higher education history, crisis has shown colleges and universities what they are made of, and the most recent COVID-19 crisis has left an indelible mark on higher education and its ability to manage crisis. This collection uses COVID-19 not merely as subject matter but as a rigorous lens—examining institutional preparedness, leadership under pressure, financial fragility, and the quiet way crisis decisions harden into permanent practice. Grounded in testimony from universities across sharply different socioeconomic contexts, it is at once analytically serious and compellingly human. I strongly encourage current and future leaders to engage in this reading.Dr Arrick Jackson, Chancellor, Indiana University NorthwestThe importance of being able to react and pivot quickly in today’s educational climate cannot be understated. We are in the midst of a seismic shift on how our students pursue education as scholarly consumers in an increasingly online world. Dr. Singh and Mr Shannon have done an exceptional job in identifying the many challenges our educational systems face as learning methodologies change and the use of AI transforms the landscape. However, with change comes opportunity and Navigating Crisis in Higher Education also identifies multiple examples on how Universities can adapt and capitalize in this post-pandemic learning environment. This book should be kept close by as an on-going reference for all C level leaders.Pat Cassella, Executive Director and Past-President, United States Distance Learning AssociationThe University sector was sorely challenged by the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hard lessons learnt in institutional preparedness, leadership and resilience are elegantly laid out in this book so that when the next pandemic inevitably occurs, the education sector is better prepared to respond from a position of strength rather than grave vulnerability.Charles Gilks, Emeritus Professor of Global Health, The University of QueenslandThis book tells an important story of how universities respond to crises, whether they be natural disasters, economic downturns, or pandemics. The contributing authors speak from direct experience to help others to learn from their collective knowledge. The project that sparked this book came from collaborations formed in the Lean Higher Education network and it is a delight to see the impact their work is having, and how, through this book, the collaborations continue to strengthen and grow.John Hogg, Global Chair, Lean Higher Education

• Dedication. Editor Biographies. Contributing Author Biographies. Acknowledgements.Foreword: Daniel P Malloy. Introduction: Jitendra Singh and Chris J Shannon. 1. Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education Delivery in Crisis: Kim-Marie Jenkins. 2. Developing a Crisis Leadership Mindset: Considerations for Global Leaders in Higher Education: Ralph Gigliotti. 3. Financial Issues and Sustainability in Higher Education: Ryan Low and Michelle Malott. 4 Emergency Preparedness & Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: Jitendra Singh, Nadia Rocio De La Asuncion Egas Tapia, Brehley Dewald, Vaishnavi Singh. 5. The Downstream Consequences of Crisis Decision Making: Candice Beckman and Stephen Yorkstone. 6. Navigating Through Crisis in Higher Education: Bikram Ghosh and Kim-Marie Jenkins. 7. Higher Education Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study: Chris J Shannon and Stephen Yorkstone. 8. Crises in Context: Regional Responses to COVID-19, and Contemporary Challenges: Stephen Yorkstone and Chris J. Shannon. Conclusion. Bringing It All Together: Mapping the Road Ahead: Jitendra Singh