Facing a global crisis, here’s how Clark’s School of Professional Studies adapted

When Clark University announced that it would close campus to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in mid-March, various departments came together to develop a plan for the shift to remote learning and working.

In their presentation, “In an Extraordinary Time, What’s Working Well and Why?” a panel of Clark experts reviews the crisis communication plan for the School of Professional Studies (SPS), looking at what has worked well during the disruption and why. In particular, the group examines how decisions were made and what choices led to intended outcomes.

In this session, faculty, staff, and administrators provide information and insights on:

• What goes into the decision-making process during a crisis
• How communication plans are developed and implemented
• What it was like being part of a group that implemented a crisis communication plan

The webinar is the final presentation in SPS’s series, “Staying Effective in Uncertain Times.” Previous talks examined topics including how to stay motivated while working from home, strategies to keep teams engaged, and organizational agility.

“Today, we’re going to tie all of that together and look specifically at Clark and what worked for them,” says moderator David Hofstetter, a professor at Clark’s School of Professional Studies.

Panelist John LaBrie, dean of the School of Professional Studies, says his biggest takeaway from the process was the importance of emergency response plans. Because Clark’s plans set up a structure — not a playbook — LaBrie said faculty and staff were able to adapt to constantly changing scenarios.

“Having a lot of people on your team you trust who are very responsive and taking responsibility for their particular area of specialty and not trying to micromanage all the specific parts was really important,” he says.

Want to learn more? View the full version of the presentation, which is part of the SPS Talks series, “Staying Effective in Uncertain Times.” Offered by Clark faculty members, the interactive webinars address organizational and personal leadership topics relevant to these stressful times.