Leading During Multiple ‘Fires’

For college and university leaders new to their roles, this past year has been a trial by fire: a global pandemic that required an immediate switch to remote instruction, a new academic year with unprecedented public-health constraints, sudden budget stresses brought on by a COVID-triggered recession; and huge shifts in enrollment patterns, especially for international students. In addition to these issues, our country is engaged in a reckoning around racial justice and anti-Blackness from which no institution is exempt. It is uncertain exactly what long-term effects those challenges will have on higher education, but what is clear is that the post-pandemic university will look different from the one that existed previously.

Like other institutions across the country and world, the University of California, Santa Cruz, worked hard, and is still working, to learn and transform in the face of these challenges and calls for change. We have also faced some hurdles distinct to our institution. Among them: pre-emptive power outages aimed at preventing wildfires, a series of strikes, skyrocketing local housing costs and, just as summer was ending, a first-ever campus evacuation due to a fast-moving wildfire sparked by dry lightning.

The CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned nearly 90,000 acres and came within a mile of our beautiful campus, which is nestled in the coastal redwoods overlooking the Monterey Bay. The fire required us to declare a campus emergency and rapidly evacuate. Luckily, our campus was spared damage, but the devastation to the surrounding communities left many of our faculty, staff and students without homes to return to once evacuation orders were lifted. The fire also stole valuable time and energy from our efforts to prepare for the start of a fall quarter filled with COVID-19 challenges.

So, you might ask, what did I learn in my first year as chancellor, moving from one crisis to the next?

There’s no such thing as a honeymoon period for new leaders. I arrived on campus full of energy and excitement, eager to meet my new colleagues and students, and cognizant of the importance of my first 100 days. I expected challenges, but this first year was a regular parade of them -- an important reminder that leaders must be ready to go from day one and willing to make big decisions. You will be judged, rightfully, on how you respond to crises. And you will soon discover there is no scarcity of crises.

Effective leaders rely on the strengths and knowledge of others. The greatest resource of any university is its diversity of people. Do not hesitate to call upon your colleagues and their professional experience. Create a supportive environment that encourages honesty and the sharing of contrary opinions. Solving complex problems requires diverse skill sets and knowledge. Bring together your managers, be clear in your direction, then let those you’ve empowered do their jobs. During the power outages, for example, great ideas came from all corners of our campus; our teams in housing and dining and at our libraries set up ad hoc spaces where students, faculty and staff could charge their laptops and mobile devices and work together. The spaces became immediate draws.

Aim for fairness, but recognize that not everyone will agree with its definition. Strive to make decisions that are consistent with policy and that are ethical and fair, but realize that in the complex environment of a college or university, fairness is in the eye of the beholder. When challenged about a decision, do not get defensive. Give arguments against your decision careful consideration. Then, if you still find it to be correct and fair, stand by it, even under pressure. If you believe you’ve erred, admit it and course correct.

Communicate often using multiple platforms. Clear, timely communication was one of the biggest challenges I faced as a new chancellor. I needed to do more of it. Institutions need someone at the top who can articulate what's important so that various campus constituencies gain a broad understanding of their purpose and focus. Tell people where you are going and why. Then tell them again. And don’t overly rely on email. Video and social media are powerful and effective tools of communication.

Accept help when it’s offered, and be ready to return the favor. Getting through a crisis requires creativity, cooperation and strong relationships -- those that are often forged well before a crisis hits. Get to know local civic and business leaders, as well as the heads of other colleges and universities in your region.

As we prepared to evacuate campus because of the fire, the owner of the oceanfront amusement park in town generously provided us a staging area and use of their commercial kitchen. Stanford University let our researchers use their ultra-low-temperature freezers to keep our specimens safe. San Jose State University said they could house any student without shelter. When our Molecular Diagnostic Lab was shut down, the University of California, San Francisco, took up the COVID testing we had been doing to help area health-care providers.

Helping hands are essential when weathering a storm. Accept help when it’s offered, and reach out when others are in crisis.

Maintain strategic vision even when immediate matters demand attention. A leader’s time is often consumed by blocking and tackling the urgent issues of the day, but it is important to not lose focus on long-term goals. Keep moving forward on your vision and mission. And in everything you do, stay true to your values. Over the course of this past year, we stuck to our plan to reorganize our campuswide compliance units under a single umbrella to better serve our community: our Equity and Equal Protection Office came into being in April -- when our students, staff and faculty were spread far and wide, for the most part studying and working remotely. This was a big step forward for our campus, and it unfolded while we endured our most disruptive year on record.

Crises can spark collective action and creative problem solving. The idea that you shouldn’t let a good crisis go to waste is a cliché, but it got to be a cliché because there is truth to the idea that a crisis can galvanize collective action. Building momentum for change can be hard when focused on day-to-day operations. Campuses nationwide have long sought to expand the use of technology in the classroom and to have more instructors embrace teaching principles that promote better learning. For us, remote instruction sped up progress on both those fronts dramatically. Our Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning worked arm in arm with faculty all summer to help them rework nearly every course we offer, and it’s fair to say technology will be used much more effectively in our classrooms when in-person classes resume.

The past academic year was challenging in ways that I could not have anticipated. But I am convinced that I am a more effective leader now because of it, and that my campus community has a stronger sense of collective purpose as we embrace the future together.