The UofM Approach to Crisis Management

The University of Memphis follows an all-hazards strategy for planning for, responding to, and recovering from natural or human-made emergencies. The all-hazards view anticipates a core set of critical resources and operations that are necessary to meet the mission of the University, which may be challenged by any emergency scenario -- from response through recovery. It relies on a systematic approach to address those challenges. While it is impossible to anticipate and plan for every conceivable emergency, we can put into place a system that easily adjusts to the changing dynamic. For example, despite differences in how a pandemic flu and a tornado manifest themselves, there would be significant overlap in many of the response and recovery mechanisms. An all-hazards planning approach provides the versatility necessary for meeting any threat faced by the University.

Five core principles serve as the foundation of all-hazards emergency management at the University of Memphis:

• People: Health and safety of faculty, staff, students, hospital patients, contractors, renters, and any other people on University premises.
• Research: Continuation and maintenance of research specimens, animals, biomedical specimens, research archives.
• Academics: Delivery of teaching/learning process and student-related services: registration, faculty assignments, classroom scheduling, drop/add, financial aid services, government reports, grades, admissions, housing, etc.
• Facilities: Security and preservation of University facilities and equipment.
• Community: Maintenance of support for community/University partnerships and the general public.