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Eugene L. Zdziarski II, Norbert W. Dunkel, J. Michael Rollo, and Associates. Campus Crisis Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Prevention, Response, and Recovery. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Cloth: 356 pp. $45.00. ISBN: 0-7879-7874-4.
Campus Crisis Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Prevention, Response, and Recovery relies on the extensive experiences of its authors and associates to map out the essential elements of crisis management preparation. As the book's title suggests, it is a comprehensive review of protocols for responding to both large and small crises. The book's purpose is to engage higher education leaders in crisis anticipation, planning, and training.
The case that Zdziarski, Dunkel and Rollo make for comprehensive crisis management planning will resonate with college and university administrators. The book's strength is its use of contemporary examples, advocacy for collaborative efforts, and detailed descriptions of the structural components of emergency response agencies.
Two themes emerge early in the book. First, crisis management is proactive work, not static once a plan is established. Second, caring for individuals involved in a crisis is paramount. Whether it is students, staff, and faculty who are directly affected, or those responding to a crisis, the authors state: "Caring for the individual, providing support to those who can benefit from attention to their needs, and enhancing the human experience as educators and mentors underlie much of what we do in higher education" (p. 4).
The book is divided...