The Resilient University: How Purpose and Inclusion Drive Student Success

by Freeman A. Hrabowski III, Peter H. Henderson (Primary Contributor), Lynne C. Schaefer (Primary Contributor)

How university leaders' empowering approach to resiliency was tested by the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial unrest. In 2020, some higher education leaders successfully navigated the unprecedented challenges the year presented and emerged as resilient agents of change in their academic communities. Freeman A. Hrabowski III was one of many leaders who followed the science during the pandemic and followed his heart in the fight for racial justice, even though the science was often playing catch-up with the virus, and campuses were playing catch-up on the history of race in our country. This precarious position often left higher education leaders in the disquieting position of making decisions with only partial or changing information. Drawing from lessons learned in real scenarios, the authors provide practical recommendations for empowering colleagues, cultivating resilience and courage, and sustaining purpose and inclusion within institutions. Building on Hrabowski's previous book The Empowered University , The Resilient University offers university leaders invaluable insight into how the qualities of openness, resilience, courage, passion, and hope can be harnessed in times of crisis to guide their institutions to thrive.

280 pages, Hardcover

Published January 9, 2024

Reviews

[Mason Doyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this as part of a Faculty Learning Community at my institution. Originally, I was excited. However, this book was nothing like what our group thought it was.

It reads like a letter to donors of the author's University, detailing how they handled the 2020 pandemic and racial unrest during that time.That is fine. But every chapter seemed to have redundant and repeated information already discussed in an earlier chapter. Quite honestly, I was very confused about who the book was written for. The strategy of the college didn't have to be a book, and the ideas they implemented were very specific to their institution and could not be easily replicated in colleges with fewer resources.

There were some great nuggets and takeaways, but ultimately, I was skimming by the last few chapters of the book.