The Education School’s Dean Offers Higher Education Leaders Guidance during COVID-19

Jason Lane, interim dean of the School of Education. (Photo by Patrick Dodson)

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 21, 2020) — Jason Lane, interim dean of the School of Education, has for years taken a leadership role in policy and governance for higher education. In the face of the evolving COVID-19 situation, he has reconceived his 2017 essay, “Six Domains of Knowledge for Higher Education Leaders,” into “6 Domains of Knowledge for College Leaders During Crisis Times” for the more than two million subscribers of Inside Higher Ed.

The article, which came out last Tuesday, applies itself directly to the current crisis, while maintaining the basic principles of leadership Lane had set out previously. “The domains themselves remain constant as does the essential role of the leader,” he said. “However, as the situation changes, leaders have to shift what they do and how they do it — this is particularly the case as we’ve moved to fully remote learning and remote working environments.”

The full text of the essay, which expounds upon the six principles — 1) know yourself; 2) know your skills; 3) know your team; 4) know your students; 5) know your institution; and 6) know your context — may be read here.

Lane describes response to the article as “overwhelmingly positive. I’ve had a lot of people from across the country in very different types of leadership roles reach out to say how it was very helpful for them as they navigate their leadership situation. I even heard it became required reading for a cabinet meeting in one university system.”

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