Pandemic Preparation: Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst

This article, from Facilities Manager, begins with some term definitions, like "virus," and then moves into practical checklists and planning for campuses to be ready for a potential pandemic. Its authors bring their expertise from West Virginia University and the University of Missouri.

It is better to be ready - even for a circumstance that doesn’t exist yet—than to have that circumstance become reality and find your organization totally overwhelmed by it. To quote the director of physical plant at Ole Miss, “we are not the University of Mississippi’s main mission . . . our role is to support the school’s mission by thinking ahead to three, four, or five years down the road and asking ourselves whether or not we have sustainability.” The very nature of our work demands that we be flexible, viable and sustainable in thinking, doing and planning for the future. Bottom line, start looking toward the future of your organization and be prepared.