Objective: We describe and analyze case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) efforts across Ohio's public universities in response to COVID-19 to distill challenges and lessons learned and suggest future opportunities for universities to mobilize in the face of emergent public health crises. Participants: Faculty, staff, and graduate students from Ohio's fourteen public universities. Methods: In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from nine of the 14 universities; representatives from the remaining five universities completed a brief questionnaire. Interviews were transcribed in their entirety and thematically analyzed. Results: Emergent themes include the significance of local relationships for implementing locally tailored solutions; the presence of discrete challenges in doing CICT work with university and local communities, and the importance of university students in pandemic response. Conclusions: There are unique challenges associated with disease control across university populations and surrounding communities, but students from diverse academic background are a potential source of assistance.