Dive Brief:
- Preliminary estimates of the damage done by Hurricane Irma to the main campus of the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas puts the total dent at approximately $60 million.
- Water, power and internet have been restored in the inhabitable campus buildings, and all students are safe, according to a document prepared by President David Hall.
- Faculty are being "encouraged to immediately assess their readiness to resume classes this semester," though there has been an acknowledgement that some class curricula may require significant adjustment. Facilities staff are shooting to re-open "within the next two weeks," the document said.
Dive Insight:
Recently, higher ed leaders in New Orleans shared their advice for colleagues who would be dealing with the onslaught of powerful hurricanes coming through the Caribbean, Florida and the Gulf Coast. The most important thing, each of them stressed, is maintaining constant communication with students and staff about the condition of facilities and when campus will re-open for business. Southern University at New Orleans Chancellor Lisa Mims-Devezin cautioned leaders to consider that many faculty and staff may have lost everything, and will be dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane long after classes have resumed.
Officials at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, including President Antonio Pérez, reflected on the damage done to his campus during 9/11, and they suggested putting faith in executive staff before there was an emergency and establishing a culture of trust and empowerment which enables staff to act without seeking permission — Pérez said this made a huge difference when a disaster struck. He also talked about balancing the need to be a business executive with a need to be a leader for staff and students. "We try to determine who are our customers, what do they want, and what are they like, so that we can respond and find a way to reach them," said Pérez. "I think its critical businesses are projecting, and forecasting with regard to their customer and delivery of their products..."
The recurrent theme for all of the leaders, whether talking about responding to hurricanes or after a terrorist threat, was the importance of making sure students felt welcome back on campus and all of their needs were met upon arrival.