Colleges and universities have been engaged in pandemic planning since 2005 when the threat of H5N1 was brought to the attention of health care providers and organizations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization. Schools developed plans, based on a 1918 scenario, that were centered on evacuation of campus, managing severe disease with a high mortality rate and cessation of academic business for eight to twelve weeks. While the pandemic caused by the novel influenza (H1N1) virus does not share the same severity as the virus of 1918, it does share the same characteristic of disproportionately affecting the young. The CDC and United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) have been valuable partners of the American College Health Association (ACHA) in developing guidelines for pandemic planning for higher education over the past four years. ACHA continues to benefit from that partnership and appreciates the interest of CDC and DHHS in garnering feedback related to the impact the novel H1N1 pandemic may have on institutions of higher education (IHE) in the formulation of interim guidance. This article provides guidance on critical topic areas while recognizing that institutions will need to adapt guidelines to align with their individual circumstances and resources. (Contains 1 figure.)