Addressing extreme heat on campus through the lens of systems-thinking

As we enter the peak of summer, heat-related impacts on campus are becoming an increasing concern for colleges and universities. Continual exposure to high temperatures can cause a handful of physical and cognitive effects for students, staff, and faculty. Preventing these impacts requires not only individual awareness, but a coordinated institutional response, especially as extreme heat is expected to increase in frequency and intensity in the coming years.¹

Extreme heat is not solely an environmental issue. It is a complex challenge, like many other campus-wide issues, and should be addressed through a systems-based approach.² By looking at the interconnected systems that influence the impact of extreme heat, the field of higher ed can address root issues and better protect the campus community in a changing climate.

Understanding heat-related health risks

Heat-related illnesses exist along a spectrum, ranging from mild symptoms such as heat cramps to life-threatening conditions like heat stroke. Exposure to elevated temperatures is strongly associated with the following:¹

• Increased emergency room visits and hospitalizations
• Cardiovascular and respiratory risks
• Heightened risk of complications with chronic health conditions
• Physical ailments or injuries
• Mental health concerns, such as mood disorders
• Behavioral issues, including violent behavior and self-harm

Campus impacts

Heat-related illness can significantly affect individuals and broader campus functions. Prolonged exposure to heat can lead to disruptions in the body and brain that can impact neural activity and executive function, increasing impulsivity, stress, and irritability while causing a decline in working memory, processing speed, and academic performance.^3,4

At the institutional level, heat events can strain infrastructure, disrupt campus functions, and overwhelm healthcare services.¹ High temperatures can burden the power grid and cause blackouts, leading students (often in overcrowded housing) to manage the heat without air conditioning. Transportation is often affected, making it difficult to reach health facilities, cooling centers, or necessary resources. Heat disrupts a wide range of systems across campus, leading to non-linear health and well-being impacts that call for a systems approach to address climate change and student health together.

Applying systems-based thinking

A systems-based approach moves beyond focusing solely on individual behavior and instead examines the interconnected structures that influence student health outcomes. While this includes an array of campus domains in the context of heat-related illness, we’re focusing on the following: the environments and settings, institutional policies, resource management, communication strategies, and data systems.

Environments and settings

While a single campus can’t combat climate-related extreme heat, campus design plays a critical role in shaping heat exposure and avoiding poor health outcomes.² Setting-based strategies include:

• Expanding shaded areas and green spaces
• Expanding access to air-conditioned buildings
• Adjusting landscaping and materials to reduce heat absorption

Institutional policies

Institutional policies and operational decisions influence how effectively campuses prepare for and respond to extreme heat events.² These may include:

• Establishing coordinated, campus-wide emergency plans and heat safety protocols
• Modifying schedules for class, exams, orientation, athletics, or work during heat advisories
• Developing contingency plans for service disruptions like power outages or transportation breakdowns
• Ensuring funding is available for environmental initiatives and protective actions

Health service resources

Demand for health services and resources tend to increase rapidly during extreme heat events, particularly when compounded by dehydration, chronic health conditions, or mental health stressors. Strengthening healthcare capacity and resource availability can help ensure timely identification and treatment of heat-related illnesses.² Strategies may include:

• Training healthcare staff and campus partners to recognize early signs of heat-related illness
• Expanding access to health services during heat waves, including telehealth or extended hours
• Coordinating with local health systems and emergency services to manage surge capacity
• Ensuring availability of hydration, cooling supplies, and recovery spaces within health facilities

Communication and knowledge

Effective communication is essential during extreme heat events. Information must be timely, accessible, and consistent across channels to ensure the entire campus community is aware of the risk.⁵ Communication strategies may include:

• Issuing clear heat advisories through multiple channels (email, text, campus apps, signage)
• Providing student-friendly education on recognizing symptoms and prevention strategies
• Ensuring messaging reaches vulnerable populations, including new and international students, and aging staff and faculty
• Coordinating messaging across academic, residential, and health departments

Data and monitoring systems

Data systems are essential for preparing for extreme heat. Without consistent monitoring, institutions may struggle to understand where risks are highest, which interventions are most effective, or justify higher funding and resource needs.² Robust data and evaluation strategies may include:

• Tracking heat-related health visits and incidents across campus
• Monitoring facility performance, including energy usage and cooling system strain
• Assessing disparities in exposure and access to resources across student populations

Integrating heat preparedness into campus health strategies

Heat-related illness in college settings is not solely a matter of individual risk; it is shaped by the systems in which the community lives, works, and learns. Integrating heat preparedness into existing well-being frameworks and across departments — from residential life to health services, from faculty to data and reporting — is essential to creating a resilient, thriving campus system.

Resources:

1. Extreme Heat (2025, Aug 22). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed on June 15, 2026. https://www.epa.gov/climatechange-science/extreme-heat
2. Pongsiri, M. J., & Bassi, A. M. (2021). A Systems Understanding Underpins Actions at the Climate and Health Nexus. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(5), 2398. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052398
3. Vasilakopoulou K, Santamouris M (2025) Cumulative exposure to urban heat can affect the learning capacity of students and penalize the vulnerable and low-income young population: A systematic review. PLOS Clim 4(7): e0000618. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000618
4. Park, R.J., Behrer, A.P. & Goodman, J. Learning is inhibited by heat exposure, both internationally and within the United States. Nat Hum Behav 5, 19–27 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-00959-9
5. Dunlap, L. (2024). Communicating Heat Risks: A guide to inclusive, effective, and coordinated public information campaigns. UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. Accessed on June 15, 2026. https://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Communicating-Heat-Risk.pdf

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