Community Strategic Crisis Planning: Benefits of a University–Business Collaborative?

One challenge that manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic was the lack of strategic and crisis planning support for small businesses and community nonprofits. Resource gaps—such as in finances, supplies and materials, and suitable human capital—are magnified when crises strike. Though often overlooked as a community resource, higher education institutions can help businesses increase crisis preparedness and effectiveness. They can play a pivotal role in ameliorating burdensome issues during times like what the world has recently experienced during COVID-19. This pandemic brought to light a crisis-preparedness response gap (The Brain, 2019) involving all sectors of the business community. Small businesses comprise some 43 percent of the US economy and account for 66 percent of new jobs (Kobe and Schwinn, 2018). Because small businesses fuel activity in local, regional, and national communities, mutual benefits can be realized when small businesses and higher education institutions collaborate.