Due to the current situation brought by COVID-19, chancellors, and university presidents are faced with unique challenges. Learn about how they navigate and lead through these difficulties. "Start the Week with Wisdom" is a short form live interview show that aims to be a source of wisdom and strength for many.

For the 15th installment of Weekly Wisdom, Bridget Burns, Executive Director of University Innovation Alliance and Paul Fain from Inside Higher Ed, had a short, inspiring conversation with the University of Houston President Renu Khator.

What Are The University’s Plans for This Fall?

For the past months, a lot has happened due to the pandemic. And everyone in Houston is all quite concerned. Ms. Khator says they are currently looking at all of the indicators for public health and are trying to see what the institution can do in three weeks.

She mentions the university's plan to open the campus but with as much flexibility and compassion as possible, which means that there will be classes in different modes. The students have the freedom to choose whether they want to come to the campus or not. If students prefer to go to the university, they'll be provided with all the necessary preventive measures, including masks and hygiene kits.

Faculties can also choose whether they want to teach in a highly flexible environment or conduct online classes, synchronous, or asynchronous. Ms. Kathor emphasizes that they are planning for every kind of scenario, but they hope for the best.

As a President Chancellor, How Is She Handling Decision Fatigue?

Ms. Kathor admits that it's overwhelming sometimes, especially during these past days. It's exhausting for her and her team members. Personally, Ms. Kathor does yoga meditation and gardening to relieve herself from fatigue and stress.

Ms. Kathor also adds that part of her job is to make sure that she can also relieve the stress from her team members. They do wine gatherings at times and even try to read books together. She makes sure to ask her teammates what they are doing for their mental health. She believes that communication and encouraging words are essential.

With Her Extensive Career in Leadership, Are There Lessons or Wisdom That She's Relying Upon Right Now?

Ms. Kathor says that she doesn't use any framework because, at the end of the day, we have to face things and make decisions based on your gut, intuition, experiences, and wisdom you've collected up to this time. She also shares that there are two principles that she follows until today: flexibility and compassion. In times of crisis, you have to feel it, not just from your students' point of view, but also from your faculty, staff, and community.

Scholarship to Practice 10/22/20

Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Derrick Tillman-Kelly, Director of UIA's Fellows Program and Network Engagement, speak with Dr. Richard Reddick, professor and associate dean at The University of Texas at Austin. Topics include:

• What cultural taxation looks like and why it's a problem
• The difference between taxation and legitimate participation
• Why administrators need to step up and address this situation
• Allyship is everybody's work because all groups benefit
• A list of resources for understanding cultural taxation

Bridget Burns and Paul Fain invite the president of Everett Community College, Daria J. Willis. President Willis has been leading Everett since last year, but also served as the provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at Onondaga Community College.

A Sense of What Daria is Going Through Currently

Daria first noted that most of her students go through a pandemic of their own, even before the onset of COVID-19 due to coming from underserved communities. Although school gets increasingly challenging daily, she finds it to be a labor of love and an honor to uplift her community.

What are the Unique Struggles of Her Students?

The pandemic exacerbated the issues that students and even faculty staff already faced like

• Food insecurity
• Lack of internet connectivity.

In response to these issues, they set up a large computer lab, but the onset of the pandemic made them open up to new partnerships to help their students. Some of those partnerships brought about Chromebooks for students, WiFi’s, food from the Volunteers of America, and more.

How Does She Set Herself and Her Team Up For the Future Forecast?

While she hopes for a way to tell the future, since it is impossible, she encourages her staff to stay updated on the current events. They also have staff meetings and ask for student’s feedback.

What Lessons Did they Learn in the Spring that Will Change in the Fall?

In the beginning, most of the faculty weren’t ready to move into online learning, but now they are trying to help faculty adapt to online learning. They are also trying to open up to hybrid learning in line with CDC protocols. In the spirit of never wasting a crisis, they plan to start their strategic planning for now, the next year, and the farther future.

What is Her Advice for People Dealing with Uncertainty?

Daria simply states that anything worth having is worth fighting for. Everyone has to fight for what they want. Find whatever makes you feel better, do it, and work hard.

Although listening to Michelle Obama’s Book On Becoming helps, Daria enjoys her peloton sessions to sweat out her frustrations. Her faith also helps her while keeping up with her bible plan and having family time.