Limited research exists relating to the development and initial implementation of new higher education policies during a crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, and higher education leaders found themselves adjusting traditional roles and services to help students and staff navigate the crisis. Multiple streams policy theory, first explained in the work of Kingdon (1984) and later in the work by Zahariadis (1995, 2007), served as the theoretical lens for this study as it explored the how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the development and initial implementation of a new late withdrawal policy. Semistructured interviews were conducted with nine leaders from student affairs and academic affairs departments at one Florida college. Four interconnected themes emerged from the data: Messaging and Meeting Overload, Adjusting Processes and Guiding Others, Attaining Goals and Designing Policy, and Working Collaboratively. Discussion of these themes revealed the adaptiveness leaders exhibited as they balanced continuing their daily work, working in a new and remote environment, supervising their staff members, and working together to develop and implement a new withdrawal policy for students whose classes were impacted by COVID-19. In the wake of the onset of the pandemic, both classes and student services were shifted to an online format, and leaders were tasked with creating fair options for students: completing the Spring 2020 semester or pausing their education as they attended to other sudden and pressing demands. Recommendations for student affairs and academic affairs leaders, college administrators, and state department of education officials are proposed. Also, recommendations for future research to assist higher education leaders with better determining and preparing an effective course of action in all types of crisis situations are provided. This study adds to the research on higher education leaders' responses during times of crisis. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]