JOURNAL CRITIQUE 2
Abstract
Colleges and universities in the United face growing challenges in today’s society. There are
declines in enrollment, loss of confidence in the value of the traditional college degree, and the
challenges to free speech that are present in the current world. In light of these difficulties,
college administrators are forced to find new ways to deliver a quality education to students with
reduced budgets, and a decline in community support.
Keywords: University, budget, value, crisis, students, administrators, tuition, speech, Covid
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Journal Critique: Crisis Management and Leadership
American colleges and universities have faced increasing challenges, particularly since
the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. As noted in Liu, et al., crisis events present chaos for which
university administrators are not prepared, and the response of administrators is entirely
discretionary (2022). Prior to the pandemic, leadership had no guidance on how to face the
situation so community core values were actually integrated into the crisis response system and
will continue to be used in case of future disasters (Liu, et al., 2022). The article by Kaufman and
Stukenberg argues that colleges are grappling with the changes in society (2024). The lapse in
enrollment and increase in artificial intelligence are presenting additional challenges for which
the leaders of colleges are simply not adequately prepared. These are challenges significantly
different and more permanent than Covid (Kaufman & Stukenberg, 2024). Will college
leadership be able to respond?
Analysis
In crisis planning, universities should always incorporate their core missions and values
into their response. Safety and support of all faculty, staff, and students should be high priority,
and leadership should include the views of external stakeholders in the planning process. By
including external members of the community, college administrators will know that their crisis
planning has the full support of the public because it was prepared with the mutual values of the
local municipality. The authors of this article conducted 55 interviews with administrators from
30 colleges in the United States to gain an understanding of how colleges responded to the crisis
presented by Covid-19 (Liu, et al., 2022). With the data gathered from the interview study, along
with the inquiry conducted using scholarly research, it is believed that a conducive study was
performed concerning the leadership’s response to crisis management in higher education.
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Kaufman and Stukenberg state that belief in American colleges has steadily fallen from
57% in 2015 and 48% in 2018 to only 36% this year (2024). College leadership is faced with
having to prove the value of the education being providing on a regular basis. This article argues
particularly that colleges should state that their value lies in the fact that the university setting is
where students learn to build relationships and discover the value of freedom of expression. In
such an environment, colleges can overcome their challenges by proving to the community that
they are a safe atmosphere in which students can develop associations, and help develop the
institution’s objective of providing a place where truth is pursued for the betterment of society
(Kaufman & Stukenberg, 2024). In the regard of free speech, the authors did a good job of
arguing for the type of speakers and speeches that would be best suited for a college
environment. The footnotes illustrate good source work to support their position, however, more
information is desired on how to combat the declining enrollment facing American colleges.
Personal Response
Both articles studied provide valid points concerning the crisis situations facing higher
education today. From personal experience, there were steep decreases in enrollment following
the pandemic, particularly in face-to-face instruction. Many institutions had to quickly move to
online education following the rapid shutdowns during spring semester 2020, and students were
hesitant to return to the classroom. This time period definitely represented a new age for the
university system. The authors of both articles looked at the crises and challenges facing
colleges, but in unique ways. One took the data specifically related to the pandemic and debated,
successfully, how institutional leadership adapted in the face of adversity and developed
effective crisis management plans. On the other hand, the second article looked, not necessarily
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at the pandemic or its aftermath, but at how colleges should handle decreases in enrollment and
the loss of faith in the value of the college as a whole.
While both articles have merit, it is this writer’s opinion that the piece handling the
emergency response to Covid-19 presented the best analysis of executive leadership’s reaction to
a crisis situation. Kaufman and Stukenberg introduced the reader to important problems facing
colleges, such as budget downturns due to decreased enrollment and the loss of tuition. However,
the majority of the article addressed the issue of intellectual freedom and increasing the feeling
of democracy on university campuses without creating a trauma-induced atmosphere. While it is
important for campus leaders to have standards regarding speakers and what is and is not
allowed on college campuses, more attention needed to be given to the reasons why less students
were attending college.
Conclusion
In summary, the articles studied in this analysis, presented varying views on how
university leaders respond to crisis situations. One article concentrated on a particular event,
interviewed campus leaders, and used their responses to create an efficient assessment of how
university leaders reacted when confronted with a chaotic situation. On the other hand, the
second commentary focused on how leaders adapted open communication on campus when
faced with a decline in enrollment and changes in technology. Both articles address crisis
management in distinctive ways, yet they provide a unique view on the role of leadership in the
process.
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References
Kaufman, M. J. & Stukenberg, J. R. (2024). The future of higher education: Reconciling freedom
of expression with trauma-informed practices and relationship-building. Widener
Commonwealth Law Review, 33(1), 151-191.
Liu, B. F., Shi, D., Lim, J. R., Islam, K., Edwards, A. L., & Seeger, M. (2022). When crisis hit
home: How U.S. higher education leaders navigate values during uncertain times.
Journal of Business Ethics, 179(2), 353-368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04820-5
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