Sustaining University Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Benjamin J Ryan; Michael P Muehlenbein; Jon Allen; Joshua Been; Kenneth Boyd; Mark Brickhouse; Bryan W Brooks; Matthew Burchett; C Kevin Chambliss; Jason D Cook; Adam Ecklund; Lori Fogleman; Peter Granick; Sharra Hynes; Tonya Hudson; Michelle Huse; Micah Lamb; Tiffany Lowe; Jim Marsh; Niesha Nixon; Dennis Nolan; George Nuñez; Walter Sparky Matthews; Sharon Stern; Meaghann Wheelis; Nancy Brickhouse

doi:10.1017/dmp.2021.69

Sustaining University Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2022 Oct;16(5):1901-1909. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2021.69. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Authors

Benjamin J Ryan¹, Michael P Muehlenbein², Jon Allen³, Joshua Been⁴, Kenneth Boyd⁵, Mark Brickhouse⁶, Bryan W Brooks¹, Matthew Burchett⁷, C Kevin Chambliss⁸, Jason D Cook⁹, Adam Ecklund¹⁰, Lori Fogleman¹¹, Peter Granick¹², Sharra Hynes¹³, Tonya Hudson¹¹, Michelle Huse¹⁴, Micah Lamb¹⁵, Tiffany Lowe¹³, Jim Marsh¹⁶, Niesha Nixon¹⁰, Dennis Nolan⁶, George Nuñez¹⁷, Walter Sparky Matthews¹⁸, Sharon Stern¹⁰, Meaghann Wheelis¹⁹, Nancy Brickhouse²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Science, Environmental Health Science Program, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
² Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
³ Information Technology Services, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
⁴ Data and Digital Scholarship, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
⁵ Student-Athlete Health and Wellness, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
⁶ Environmental Health and Safety, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
⁷ Student Activities, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
⁸ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
⁹ Marketing and Communications, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁰ Health Services, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹¹ Media and Public Relations, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹² Operations, Finance and Administration, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹³ Campus Living and Learning, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁴ Human Resources, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁵ IT Projects and Governance, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Counseling Services, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁷ Office of Emergency Management, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁸ Honors Program, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
¹⁹ Institutional Research, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
²⁰ Curriculum and Instruction, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.

Abstract

Colleges and universities around the world engaged diverse strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baylor University, a community of ˜22,700 individuals, was 1 of the institutions which resumed and sustained operations. The key strategy was establishment of multidisciplinary teams to develop mitigation strategies and priority areas for action. This population-based team approach along with implementation of a "Swiss Cheese" risk mitigation model allowed small clusters to be rapidly addressed through testing, surveillance, tracing, isolation, and quarantine. These efforts were supported by health protocols including face coverings, social distancing, and compliance monitoring. As a result, activities were sustained from August 1 to December 8, 2020. There were 62,970 COVID-19 tests conducted with 1435 people testing positive for a positivity rate of 2.28%. A total of 1670 COVID-19 cases were identified with 235 self-reports. The mean number of tests per week was 3500 with approximately 80 of these positive (11/d). More than 60 student tracers were trained with over 120 personnel available to contact trace, at a ratio of 1 per 400 university members. The successes and lessons learned provide a framework and pathway for similar institutions to mitigate the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and sustain operations during a global pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; higher education; population-based management; public health; wastewater epidemiology.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Humans
Pandemics / prevention & control
Quarantine
SARS-CoV-2
Universities