pandemic avian flu planning minnesota state colleges and universities laura m. king, vice chancellor...
TRANSCRIPT
Pandemic Avian FluPlanning
Minnesota State Colleges and UniversitiesLaura M. King, Vice Chancellor – CFO
State Higher Education Executive OfficersProfessional Development Conference
August 15, 2006Chicago, Illinois
Slide 2
System Overview
• Seventh largest system of two- and four-year colleges and universities in the country; governed by Board of Trustees
• Serves 369,000 students each year in credit and non-credit courses, including 30,000 online students
• Nearly 90% of students are Minnesota natives;80% remain in state upon graduation
• Own 26M square feet on 53 campuses in 46 communities
• 18,000 full- and part-time faculty and staff
Slide 3Slide 3
The state of Minnesota has:
• 5 million people
• 57.5 million chickens
• 47.5 million turkeys
• 18,000 hospital beds
Slide 7Slide 7
There are only 11 states with a total area larger than Minnesota
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• Oregon
• Texas
• Wyoming
• Alaska
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Michigan
• Montana
Michigan is the only state east of the Mississippi River
with a larger total area than Minnesota.
Slide 8Slide 8
Conversely, the total area of the following eastern states would fit inside of Minnesota
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• West Virginia
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• District of Columbia
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
Slide 9
State’s Framework
• Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is lead state agency
• Event will be managed under aegis of National Incident Management system
• All public and private entities are subject to the governor’s executive power in the event of a declared emergency
• State controls 1/3 of our employees directly through state labor contracts; balance in labor contracts controlled by our board
Slide 10
All Hazards Planning
• Each college/university has current All Hazards plan that addresses fire, chemical spills, bomb threats, weather events, etc.
• Pandemic Plan added as chapter in All Hazards plan
• Recognition that pandemic planning presents unique elements that require additional/modified planning
Slide 11
Roles and Responsibilities
• State – public health and safety, resource coordination
• Board/System – uniform policies and public communications
• Presidents – student and faculty safety, community support
Slide 12
System Planning Assumptions
We assumed:
• That we had at least 9 months from the February 2006 planning start
• That we would hold and exercise discretion prior to an emergency declaration by the governor
• That the system plan and the individual college/university plans will be synchronized
• That WWW would be available for limited communication only
Slide 13
Plan Development
• System level team of senior cabinet officials
• Each president to name a local planning team with designated members in parallel with the system team (academic, student life, communications, facilities, etc.)
• Each team asked to develop plans based upon scenarios modified from WHO guidelines
• Meetings held by region to present andreview the plans with regional neighbors
Slide 14
Plan Development, cont.
• Key element of planning process is the identification of statutory/policy changes needed to accommodate student services
• Emphasis on coordination with local public entities – public health authorities, school districts, hospitals
• Emphasis on campus communication, training and education during plan preparation and after plan prepared
Slide 15
Pandemic Plan Components
• Structure
– Command and committee structure– Evidence of coordination with local entities– Evidence of collaboration with other
colleges/universities– Evidence of communications plan
• Students and staff
– Assessment of student learner impacts– Health and safety assessment– Employee assignment analysis– Analysis of internal and external services
Slide 16
Pandemic Plan Components, cont.
• Event management
– Plan effectiveness evaluation
– Plan design for updating
– Post event plan
Slide 17
Policy Implications
• Academic program administration
– Close one program at a time or whole colleges/ universities?
– Differential treatment of on ground vs. online instructional availability?
– Close statewide simultaneously or serially? – Coordination/communication with local K-12
systems (18,000 PSEO and college in classroom students)
Slide 18
Policy Implications, cont.
• Uniform communications– System Web page for all to use and – Campus generated communications
• Campus physical security for residential programs
• Term management– Credit award where incomplete term? – Availability of tuition reimbursement vs.
credit for next term
Slide 19
Policy Implications, cont.
• Student issues
– Awareness communications– Recognize and prepare for economic and
emotional impacts– Academic impact analysis– Census and evacuation planning– Care for place bound students– Role of campus health care services
Slide 20
Policy Implications, cont.
• Employee Issues
– Uniform treatment across 12 labor contracts?– Recognize and plan for economic/emotional
impact on staff – Emphasis on personal/family preparedness
Slide 22
Observations
• We have bootstrapped this effort into general progress on all hazards planning – key to long term utility of plan documents
• Strong leadership commitment; no general awareness
• Commitment to student outcomes will hopefully guide settlement of policy disputes
• Lack of federal guidance is not helpful
Slide 23
Observations, cont.
• Financial impacts are incalculable at this point
• Possible state and federal assistance also unknown
• We are ready enough if it happens tomorrow
• Leadership committed to planning principles
• Staff and student personal planning are critical to plan’s success