University President's Crisis Handbook

Discover the non-traditional leadership techniques that took the University of Idaho from insolvency to international renown

In University President’s Crisis Handbook, the President of the University of Idaho, C. Scott Green, and author Temple Kinyon deliver a one-of-a-kind perspective on managing universities through periods of intense turmoil and difficulty. The book offers in-depth managerial insights into the three strategic pillars and industry expert guidance that helped Green shepherd the University of Idaho through years of deep deficits and the COVID-19 pandemic.

You’ll find comprehensive discussions of how the university achieved financial solvency, soaring enrollments, record research awards, and record fundraising amid extraordinary challenges. You’ll also discover:

• Explorations of the strategic touchstones leading to U of I’s transformation: student success, pursuit of R1 Carnegie research classification leading to soaring grant awards, and narrative control
• How the university and its community supported itself in the face of a tragic and outrageous crime against 4 of its students
• The strategies used by the university and its faculty to safely reopen the school after lengthy closures in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic

Perfect for university administrators, University President’s Crisis Handbook will also prove invaluable to academics with leadership responsibilities and managers, executives, board members and other leaders in the public and private sectors.

Timeline of Events xi

The Vandal Tribe of Contributors xix

Foreword xxiii

Preface xxvii

Acknowledgments xxix

Introduction xxxiii

Part I 1

Chapter 1: The Road Home 3

Chapter 2: Would You Rather? 11
Smart Collaboration: 501 Front Street, Boise, Idaho

Chapter 3: The Nontraditional 29
Smart Collaboration: Parma Research and Extension Center, Parma, Idaho

Chapter 4: Lincoln’s Vision 37
Smart Collaboration: Nancy M. Cummings Research, Extension, and Education Center Renovation, Carmen, Idaho

Chapter 5: Three Pillars 45

Chapter 6: Reunion 51
Scott’s Third Rail – Lawsuits

Part II 59

Chapter 7: Broken 61

Chapter 8: The Holy Financial Trinity 69

Chapter 9: Show Me the Money 75

Chapter 10: Students Are Everything 79
Smart Collaboration: Alaska Air Service to Moscow, Idaho

Chapter 11: Aliens on Campus 87

Chapter 12: Right Size 91

Chapter 13: Find Your Sense of Urgency 101

Chapter 14: Skeletons 109

Part III 113

Chapter 15: Putting the Wheels in Motion 115
Smart Collaboration: Moscow Police Department Renovation to Prichard Art Gallery, Moscow, Idaho

Chapter 16: A Project for the Ages 127
Smart Collaboration: ICCU Arena Completion and Grand Opening (October 2021), Moscow, Idaho

Chapter 17: The Values Wall 135
Scott’s Third Rail – Athletics

Part IV 141

Chapter 18: Priority Push 143
Scott’s Third Rail – Accreditation

Chapter 19: Magic 151
Smart Collaboration: Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE), Magic Valley, Idaho Smart Collaboration: Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, Hailey, Idaho

Chapter 20: Changing Levers 163
Smart Collaboration: Hiring Process Evaluation

Chapter 21: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise 177
Smart Collaboration: Visiting College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Research and Extension Center Locations (July 2019–April 2022, Idaho)

Part V 183

Chapter 22: From One Crisis to Another 185

Chapter 23: Many Hands Make Light Work 191

Chapter 24: It’s Official 197

Chapter 25: Uncertainty 207

Chapter 26: Keep Calm and Vandal On 209

Part VI 219

Chapter 27: Meanwhile, Back at the Financial Crisis 221
Smart Collaboration: Education within Education

Chapter 28: Turning Off the Lights 229

Chapter 29: Zoom! 239

Chapter 30: Talks with Torrey 245
Smart Collaboration: Talks with Torrey

Part VII 253

Chapter 31: Testing 1, 2, 3, Testing 255

Chapter 32: Unethical? 265

Chapter 33: Test Case 273

Chapter 34: Do It! 277

Chapter 35: R1- 2026 281
Smart Collaboration: Deep Soil Ecotron Research Facility
Smart Collaboration: Falcon Computer
Smart Collaboration: Seed Potato Germplasm Laboratory

Part VIII 293

Chapter 36: The Grim Reaper 295

Chapter 37: Open! 301
Smart Collaboration: McCall Field Campus Overhaul (Home of MOSS— McCall Outdoor Science School), McCall, Idaho

Chapter 38: A Tale of Two Cities 309

Chapter 39: We’re Closer Than You Think 313

Chapter 40: A Shot in the Arm 321

Chapter 41: Conflict Entrepreneurs 331
Scott’s Third Rail – Politics

Chapter 42: Every Challenge Has a Silver Lining 341
Smart Collaboration: COVID- 19 Research

Chapter 43: When Evil Visits Your Campus 349

Part IX 367

Chapter 44: A University on the Rise 369
Smart Collaboration: Telling the U of I’s Story

References by Chapter 383

References A-Z 391

Resources 397

About the Authors 399

Index 403

C. SCOTT GREEN is President of the University of Idaho. He previously served in a variety of management roles at Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, and ING Barings. He was also the Global Chief Operating and Financial Officer for Hogan Lovells, a leading law firm. He was recognized as one of the Top 50 Big Law Innovators of the Last 50 Years by The American Lawyer magazine.

TEMPLE KINYON is a freelance writer and editor and University of Idaho alumnus. She has written articles that have appeared in Home & Harvest magazine, BLVDS LV magazine, and Idaho Grain magazine.

The management of a large university is a huge undertaking. The complexity of their operations, the diversity of their stakeholders, and the breadth of their potential combine to make universities exciting and challenging places to lead. But what should one do if the university in question is in dire financial or operational straits? Can a university recover from devastating setbacks?

In University President’s Crisis Handbook, the President of the University of Idaho, C. Scott Green, with the help of Temple Kinyon deliver a unique perspective on how to manage universities through periods of turmoil and intense difficulty. In the book, you’ll find in-depth managerial insights into the three strategic pillars that assisted Green as he shepherded the University of Idaho through years of deep deficits and the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll also discover guidance from leading industry experts that informed Green’s approach to management.

This reliable resource explains how Green led the university’s successful efforts to become financially solvent, increase enrollments, achieve research awards, and improve fundraising in the face of substantial obstacles. It also describes the strategic touchstones that guided Green’s managerial efforts, including student success, narrative control, and his pursuit of R1 Carnegie research classification and soaring grant awards.

The book explores the impact that a tragic and outrageous crime against four of its students had on the university and its community, as well as the strategies used by the school and its faculty to safely reopen after the lengthy closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perfect for university administrators, University President’s Crisis Handbook is also an ideal guide for academics with leadership responsibilities and managers, executives, board members, and other leaders in the public and private sectors.

Praise for UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT’S CRISIS HANDBOOK

“Scott Green navigated a series of crises at the University of Idaho—including aggressively addressing potential financial insolvency, implementing a strong and effective response to the pandemic, and managing the impacts of a devastating crime with grace and authority. His book is a crisis management tool that shares his unique experiences and insights to help current and future leaders.”
—Brad Little, Governor of Idaho

“The University President’s Crisis Handbook is an invaluable resource for anyone leading a complex organization in the face of adversity. It offers thoughtful and practical leadership and management insights ranging from strategy development, fiscal management, and data-driven decision making to strategic communication, crisis management, and team building.”
—Erik Peterson, Lieutenant General (Retired) U.S. Army

“I truly appreciate the candid insights and actionable advice this book offers. Universities can encounter a range of crises, and President Green navigated several during his first four years at the helm — from a financial crunch, a pandemic, to a capital crime that garnered national attention. Yet, under his guidance, the University of Idaho not only weathered these storms but also stayed true to its strategic goals, impressively without missing a beat. As a fellow university president, I find this knowledge invaluable. I'm confident every higher education executive would greatly benefit from adding this book to their management arsenal.”
—Chris Lynne, President, University of Phoenix

“As a member of the University of Idaho Board of Regents and its immediate past president, I had a front-row seat to the challenges President Green faced during his first four years at the institution. No one would expect a newly installed president to handle a series of crises adroitly and have the institution they lead come out the other side stronger, but that is precisely what happened. This book tells a compelling story, accurately describing the challenges the University of Idaho faced and the tactics used to overcome them. As a private sector CEO, I believe there is valuable advice contained in this book that is useful for managers of any business or institution, not just those in higher education.”
—Kurt Liebich, Chairman, Commercial Resources LLC and New Wood Resources LLC, and Immediate Past President, Idaho State Board of Education