190 LEADERSHIP May the TASK FORCE Be with you! Harding employs a COVID-19 task force. Once the lasting effects of COVID-19 became apparent in spring 2020, the University administration knew they needed to make important decisions with a group of internal and external leaders. This led to the creation of the University COVID-19 task force. “Dr. McLarty became very aware of the fact that this wasn’t a temporary issue and that it was going to take a significant, collective effort to open the campus, and then to keep it open,” Dr. Michael Justus, University COVID-19 task force member, said. The task force conducted virtual meetings during summer 2020 to discuss the changes necessary to safely bring students back to campus. Justus said they continued to meet every week through the fall 2020 semester to understand what was happening on campus, mandate Arkansas regulations and collect information on what was happening outside of the University. The external task force members included local physicians such as Justus and contacts at the Arkansas governor’s office and in Washington, D.C. The internal members included President Bruce McLarty, Executive Vice President David Collins and other Harding leaders. Collins said that as more information was released about COVID-19 protocol, the University felt more confident in their decisions to ensure a safe semester. An article written by surgeon, writer and public leader Atul Gawande listed four pillars of proactivity that helped shape the University’s approach to conquering the semester. The four pillars were masks, distancing, screening and personal hygiene. “We saw the vision, and we started down the pathway of preparation,” Collins said. “All of the things you see on campus from the barriers that are up, and hand sanitizers, and even our protocols on isolation and quarantine, all of that developed was part of what the task force was working on through the month of June primarily.” Andy Goodman, president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities and University COVID-19 task force member, said his position as an external member of the task force was to be a conduit for information on the state level. Goodman said the task force created a hub of information on safely reopening campus, staying open and keeping students safe. “One thing about a campus like Harding is that it’s very different from a larger, public institution,” Goodman said. “If anybody could help control the environment but also have buy-in from the students on campus to make sure they’re doing the right thing, that’s a place like Harding.” story by Ava Galyean
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