Harvard Seminar for Presidential Leadership: Crisis Leadership Planning and Implementation

Overview

College and university presidents have always faced a wide variety of crises, many of them prevalent in higher education. But in recent years, new kinds of crises have arisen, and their frequency and ferocity have increased. The ubiquity of social media and the impulse for outrage often serve as accelerants, turning seemingly small events into serious conflagrations that can escalate into personal confrontations and even violence.

Designed expressly for college and university presidents, Crisis Leadership Planning and Implementation examines the nature and dynamics of crises that presidents are likely to encounter. Working together with expert faculty and talented peers, you’ll assess your current crisis management processes and learn how to adapt them to prepare for endemic and novel crisis types. You will leave Harvard with a better understanding of the dynamics of crises, the appropriate role of the president, and strategies to both reduce the likelihood of a crisis and respond more effectively if one should occur.

Program Details

This seminar will be hosted in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Crisis Leadership Planning and Implementation was created to provide a candid forum for presidents to talk with each other about their particular circumstances and challenges. The learning experience will include faculty-led sessions, discussion groups, and most importantly, connections with an extraordinary peer group of colleagues from across the country.

Program Objectives

• Consider the unique characteristics of higher education institutions that make them especially crisis-prone;
• Review the use of standard risk management protocols, and consider when they are appropriate and when different organizational structures and responses are required;
• Assess your institution’s risk management and crisis management processes and structures;
• Discuss “sleeping dragons”: known risks that aren’t dealt with for a host of reasons, and can quickly erupt into devastating  crises;
• Identify critical features of presidents’ crisis communication

The program draws on cross-disciplinary expertise from faculty at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Who Should Attend

• College and university presidents and chancellors from all sectors of higher education in the United States and abroad

Fees & Policies

Full tuition is due by the indicated payment deadline, which you may find above or on the program’s community page. While a purchase order confirms enrollment, full payment is still required by the payment deadline. Please note that failure to pay by the payment deadline will result in your withdrawal from the program. Click here for more information on payment, refund, and withdrawal policies.

Tuition includes all instructional materials required for participation in the program. The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion. The school is not responsible for any planning expenses incurred.

Tuition Assistance

Tuition assistance is available for this program on a need- and application-basis. Tuition assistance is granted based on participant and institutional needs. Requests for tuition assistance have no effect on an applicant's prospects for admission. You may access the tuition assistance application after you have submitted your program application.

Closed Captioning and Accessibility

This online course consists of live web conferences. For live events, we will arrange for captioning services upon your request. Please contact us if you require these accommodations. If possible, requests should be made as soon as possible and at least a week in advance. Please note: we will make every effort to secure services, but all are subject to availability.