Abstract: This study primarily aimed to develop a sustainable crisis management model to effectively address university student unrest in Zimbabwe. The research was motivated by the recurring nature of student unrest in both public and private universities, largely attributed to the country’s volatile socio-economic and political environment. The study adopted a constructivist paradigm under qualitative approach and qualitative descriptive research design with analytic generalization to explore the experiences of internal stakeholders and develop a model for sustainable crisis management of student unrest. Two universities were selected on pragmatic access grounds; within them, purposive sampling was used to select six administrators, ten faculty, ten non-teaching staff, and four student groups (n=40). Data was generated through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The findings were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analytic process. The study was anchored on the Crisis Management Theory (CMT) and the Stakeholder Theory (ST) offering a multi-dimensional understanding of crisis dynamics within the higher education sector. Findings revealed that university administrations often delay responding to early warning signs, used punitive heavy-handed strategies to crisis containment and lacked systems to enhance effective crisis learning and recovery. The research emphasized the need for proactive crisis management strategies, including clear communication protocols, stakeholder inclusion and strengthened student involvement in decision-making processes. Ultimately, the study proposes a participatory and systemic approach to managing student unrest, centered on inclusivity, transparency, and institutional preparedness as illustrated by a model which is meant to foster long term stability, improved stakeholder engagement and enhanced proactive responsiveness to student unrests.

Abstract: This study explores sustainable strategies for managing university student unrest in Zimbabwe through enhanced collaboration among internal stakeholders. Anchored in Stakeholder Theory (ST) and employing a qualitative research approach, this study explores how administrators, faculty, no-teaching staff and students perceive their respective roles in managing institutional unrest. It further identifies perceived barriers to collaboration among stakeholders and seeks to develop strategic interventions to mitigate these challenges. Findings reveal that while each group recognizes its role in conflict mitigation, communication breakdown, departmental silos, marginalization and lack of training hinder effective collaboration. The paper concludes with recommendations to foster inclusive decision-making, capacity-building, and trust-based communication structures as a sustainable framework for crisis management of student unrest in higher education.