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  • On Campus
    Session Date
    -
    Application Deadline
    Program Fee
    $5,900
    Faculty Chair
    Herman B. (Dutch) Leonard
    Bridget Terry Long
    Program Director
    Erica Lane
    Request Brochure

    The Crisis Leadership in Higher Education executive program can be even more impactful when you and your leadership team attend together. To support teams of 2 to 5 participants from the same organization, we are offering a 10% team discount for each person. In order to receive the discount, each participant must submit an individual application to be reviewed for admission. If you have any questions or would like more information about how to apply as a team, please reach out to the Program Director Erica Lane.

    Program Fee: The program fee includes tuition, housing, curricular materials and most meals.
    Executive Certificate: This program is a core program in the Public Leadership concentration. This program can also be used as a third program for any concentration in the Executive Certificate series.
    Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): This program aligns with one or more Executive Core Qualifications.

Program Overview

From campus protests to natural disasters, public health crises, and faculty misconduct, you cannot predict when a crisis will hit your institution—but you can control how you prepare and respond. And you can learn to handle crises in a way that will better protect your students and your institution's reputation.

The Crisis Leadership in Higher Education program equips senior academic leaders with the critical strategies needed to manage crises effectively, safeguarding both students and the institution’s reputation. You’ll gain the tools to respond to emergencies with confidence, develop crisis protocols, and foster long-term institutional success.

Strategies for a Crisis

The Crisis Leadership in Higher Education program offers essential frameworks for proactive crisis planning, ensuring that you have robust management systems in place before a crisis occurs. Designed by faculty from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Kennedy School, this program draws on their extensive experience in crisis leadership, higher education policy, and strategic operations.

Program Curriculum

Crisis Leadership in Higher Education is a four-day on campus executive program led by a teaching team from Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Participants will engage in real-world crisis scenarios, such as campus violence or natural disasters, and learn to address the strategic and operational challenges that arise in higher education during crises. You'll also explore communication strategies tailored to the unique needs of educational institutions. 

Key outcomes include:

  • Practical tools to diagnose and understand crises 
  • Frameworks to help recognize critical distinctions between different types of crises
  • Skills to ensure accountability and build situational awareness
  • Understanding both policy and operational challenges during crises

Learning Objectives

Over four days, using real-world case studies, lectures and small group discussions, program faculty will guide you through a variety of concepts and scenarios, examining practical challenges ranging from natural disasters to emergent infectious disease to reputation-threatening campus incidents. Specific program objectives will help you to:

  • Effectively diagnose crisis events
  • Differentiate between crisis types and responses
  • Build situational awareness across campus leadership
  • Understand and manage both policy and operational concerns
  • Maintain accountability during all phases of a crisis
  • Implement effective crisis training exercises
  • Guide your institution from immediate response through long-term recovery

Application Information

Crisis Leadership in Higher Education is designed for college and university leaders and selected independent and public school officials responsible for crisis planning, implementation, communication, and external relations.

Recommended applicants include:

  • College and university presidents and vice presidents
  • Chancellors
  • Provosts
  • Deans
  • Chief administrative services officers
  • Heads of institutional communication
  • Directors of campus safety and security
  • Officials from independent schools and large public high schools

View a sample program schedule. Note that module titles, speakers, and sequence may change.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

“Crisis Leadership in Higher Education was a unique and highly enriching experience, from the opportunity to acquire knowledge and build skills, to the practical application and networking opportunities.”
Anna Sadecka, PhD, International Relations Office, University of Warsaw
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Faculty & Research

Herman B. (Dutch) Leonard Photo

Herman B. (Dutch) Leonard

George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Management, vlog; Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration, HBS
617-495-1117
Bridget Terry Long

Bridget Terry Long

Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor; Saris Professor of Education and Economics

Lawrence Bacow Photo

Lawrence Bacow

Professor of Public Policy, Emeritus

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Admissions & Financial Information

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education provides comprehensive admissions and financial information to help you make an informed decision. Learn more now!