Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in natural and manmade disasters. While no community is immune to the risks posed by these large-scale emergencies, colleges, and universities, which are home to numerous vulnerable populations, could be counted among those most at risk. In their current state of overall community…

This qualitative descriptive study sought to form a foundation for emergency response plan research. The intent was to gather descriptive descriptions from higher education administrators regarding how they communicated and implemented emergency response plans adjusted over the past decade due to the Presidential Preparedness Directive 8. Concern…

This study aimed to investigate and describe the nonacademic decision-making experiences impacting U.S. Catholic college or university senior student affairs officers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 virus affected all institutions of higher education, and while most campuses had crisis response plans to guide decision-making, most…

When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, public safety departments at four-year institutions of higher education in the U.S. were vulnerable. This vulnerability was because of the limited time they had to initiate their pandemic response to help protect their campus communities, and the need to create or revise institutional emergency response…

Impacts to postsecondary institutions' enrollment and financial positions that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic were examined in this study. Taking a quantitative observational approach, enrollment trends as they relate to changes in tuition and fee revenue, unrestricted cash on hand, and unrestricted investments held are analyzed to determine…

Globally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been the headline over the last years. COVID-19 has forced institutions and individuals to work remotely and increase practices such as social distancing to curtail the further spread of the disease (Al Hajri et al., 2020; Chodorow-Reich & Coglianese, 2020; Garg et al., 2020;…

The problem of practice this research sought to study and offer solutions for was centered around social media communications from a housing and dining department at a major university in a large United States city during times of crisis and emergencies. The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine and make recommendations to improve…

Undergraduate students' career readiness is an important topic among educators, including how career-ready skills are developed and demonstrated to prospective employers. The impact of COVID-19 on the career readiness of undergraduate students is multifaceted, given the extent to which the pandemic may have affected their career planning and…

Many community college students are hungry, and this problem has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The amply available Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds, created by the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act, have helped institutions address campus hunger during and after the pandemic. The study's guiding research…

"The issue of what to do in response to suicidal students is anything but a clear one" (Harshbarger, 2014, para. 3). How to best support students with severe mental illness is an ongoing challenge for institutions of higher education. Institutions must adapt to a rapidly changing landscape of evolving federal policy, case law, and…

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact COVID-19 had on the student and faculty resilience. This study focused on the resilience of participants to overcome obstacles to learning, financial planning and maintaining a strong sense of belonging. A sense of belonging is an important variable because it is linked to feelings, values,…

This study examined faculty and staff perceptions and experiences regarding campus safety awareness, focusing on their engagement in emergency preparedness training. The aim was to assess the alignment of their perceptions, experiences, knowledge, and participation in campus safety training. It is crucial for faculty and staff to be well-informed…

Change is a constant in academia, instructional design, delivery, and assessment strategies. Academics must adapt to ensure a continuum of courses that meet learning objectives. This qualitative case study was an exploration of the perceptions, experiences, and strategies used by faculty in higher education institutions who experienced…

Challenges in higher education continue to arise, providing administrators with insights into how prepared--or unprepared--their institutions may be for future crises. The purpose of the study is to examine how mid-level leadership, staff, and students perceived the disaster response to Hurricane Ida during the 2021-2022 academic year. Using the…

The research in this dissertation was conducted to measure the accessibility, presentation, and format of active shooter protocol for college faculty and staff at institutions of higher education in the state of New Jersey. The study further explores the need for availability of active shooter policy given the unfortunate growing problem of active…