Abstract

The close proximity of students learning, living, socializing and working on university and college campuses presents a unique setting to understand organization responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This concurrent, mixed methods qualitative study explored how one institution of higher education demonstrated resilience and how its health promotion activities pivoted and adjusted to reduce virus transmission and maintain safety while continuing to promote learning and education. Based on the organizational resilience conceptualization developed by Duchek (2020), data collection methods combined individual interviews with university leaders, self-interview and reflection, and a review of organization documents a connection between health promotion, organization resilience, and critical incident response was found. Data analysis revealed a set of themes unique to this university, but also supports recent literature on organization resilience. Findings suggest that organization preparation, the use of reflection in the response process and the expression of organization values, (care and compassion) provide opportunities for the organization to practice adaptive resilience. In addition, the study findings suggest the importance of health promotion to assist in the critical incident response planning. The analytical process of combining stakeholder interviews, self-interviews, and organization documents provides one path for deeper learning of the connection between health promotion and organization resilience.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Bryer, Thomas

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Public Administration

Degree Program

Public Affairs; Public Administration

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008994; DP0026327

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026327

Language

English

Release Date

May 2022

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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