Addressing Complex Issues and Crises in Higher Education With an Adaptive Leadership Framework

While American universities have historically been centers of free thought, college campuses have become increasingly divided on free speech issues. College leaders need to balance upholding free speech with protecting the safety of students. This article describes and recommends the adaptive leadership framework for administrators to use during complex campus issues, such as free speech challenges. After defining and presenting a conceptual framework for adaptive leadership, the authors briefly describe three incidents at University of Nebraska--Lincoln (UNL) and then apply the adaptive leadership framework to the response of administrators. It is their hope that other leaders in higher education will be better equipped to address issues on their campuses by utilizing adaptive leadership.