SEAHO Report - Fall 2024 - 30

The Fall 2024 semester has been fraught with crisis situations across the Southeast, especially as we have
dealt with the impact and aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. During and after times of crisis, we often
must deal with outside vendors to help our home campuses recover. We may need to call upon teams to help
with remediation of water damage and its effects, we may need to purchase new furniture, or we may need
to call upon construction and design firms to deal with necessary repairs and renovations to our facilities.
Responding to these situations is extremely taxing on our leadership, so it is essential for them to know that
they can call upon professionals at all levels to share the people in their networks that they have built through
experiences like the SEAHO exhibit hall. Additionally, decisions that are made in response to crisis situations
do not happen in a vacuum; discussions should involve a breadth of voices from our campuses, and we can
all contribute to the discussion based upon the things that we have taken away from conferences, including
our networking with corporate partners. Due to my involvement with the Corporate Partners Committee, I have
previously been asked if I have any knowledge of, or relationships with, any partners for various needs. When
our Senior Housing Officers and other senior leaders are exhausted from being continually in crisis-response
mode, it can be very beneficial to everyone when folks at all levels can contribute what they know about
different vendors that we may need to utilize in our recovery. Finally, as I stated earlier, the exhibit hall also
promotes networking between delegates from different institutions who may not otherwise have had a chance
to interact, and even these partnerships are invaluable during times of crisis.
As we respond to crisis situations, it is also of vital importance to share best practices with others from
institutions across our states and the region, as well as our corporate partners. We all have an opportunity to
learn from each other when we come together at SEAHO. Many corporate partners have worked in higher
education settings in the past, and have a wealth of knowledge to bring to the table, even if we do not choose
to do formal business with them; and dialogues between colleagues from other institutions can help us to
streamline our practices so that we can continue to work toward the common goal of serving our students
and helping them to have as painless of an experience as possible in times of trouble. Finally, drawing upon
the relationships that we build with partners or colleagues through the SEAHO exhibit hall in times like these
can help us to find support and to strengthen relationships with individuals we may need to call upon to do
business now or in the future.
In conclusion, the SEAHO exhibit hall is and will continue to be a space for everyone. Even though you
may not be an SHO or a buyer, the connections that we build both with our corporate partners and even
our colleagues at other institutions are invaluable. Their importance especially in times of crisis cannot be
understated. I encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone at our upcoming conference in Huntsville
and fully engage with corporate partners and with each other, build your networks, ask lots of questions, and to
call upon each other in times of need.
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SEAHO Report - Fall 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SEAHO Report - Fall 2024
