How Prepared are America's Colleges and Universities for Major Crises?

Tornado warning dissemination and response at a university campus

“…States colleges and universities found that schools were generally only prepared for the types of events they had experienced in the past (Mitroff et al 2006). Focusing on economic growth and expansion of facilities, universities have not considered their vulnerabilities to hazards until recently even though the cost of natural disasters to universities has been high (Yemaiel 2006).…”

Presidential Perspectives of Crisis Preparedness at Christian Higher Education Institutions

“…The fact that the presidents were aware of crisis management procedures on their campus provides some empirical evidence that presidents at Christian institutions of higher education are addressing crisis preparedness at their campuses. This information counters some crisis management experts' beliefs that American higher education institutions are unprepared to handle crisis due to their lack of planning (Dolan, 2006;Mitroff et al, 2006). Based upon the participant data, it appears that the presidents are implementing broader crisis management concepts for their campuses.…”

“…Crisis preparedness is a vital piece in the crisis management process; accordingly, it has been studied in-depth within large, public college and university environments (Akers, 2007;Catullo, Hartzog, 1981;Mitroff et al, 2006;Wilson, 1992;Zdziarski, 2001). However, there is little if any literature examining crisis preparedness at Christian higher education institutions.…”

“…The major characteristics of this definition are a negative event or outcome, the element of surprise, limited response time, disruption of operations, and a threat to the safety and well-being of people (Zdziarski, 2006). Mitroff et al (2006) have defined crisis management as a systematic approach to avoid crisis or to manage crisis incidents that occur within an organization. The term crisis management encompasses all activities an organization undertakes to prepare for and respond to crisis (Sherwood & McKelfresh, 2007).…”

“…Crisis management experts believe that most higher education institutions are vulnerable to crises due to their lack of planning (Dolan, 2006;Mitroff, Diamond, & Alpaslan, 2006). Colleges and universities trail behind corporations and other business organizations in crisis preparedness primarily because their chief administrators are unfamiliar with broader crisis management concepts (Fox, 2008).…”