Crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic response within an Australian higher education institution – a qualitative analysis

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ABSTRACT COVID-19 has caused a revelation of change across the world. Higher education leaders faced significant challenges during the unprecedented crisis, particularly in the early stage of the pandemic. We examined the University of Sydney’s response to the pandemic using key informant interviews with leaders at different levels of the university structure to fill the crisis management gap in Australia’s higher education sector. Key themes that emerged from the interviews focused on the importance of communication strategies in crisis, how the level of collaboration affected the pandemic response efforts and that adaptability to change was essential for engagement and communication in a time where face-to-face contact was limited. We applied the thematic analysis results from the interviews to Mitroff and Pearson’s crisis management model to reflect on the University’s response. We identified several recommendations from the experiences for future public health crisis responses.