A toolkit for physics department advocacy (and survival) and its connection to EP3*

During the previous decade, a number of physics departments have faced closure either of their department altogether or programs within their departments. With a decrease in the number of college students impending or underway, further closures are inevitable. Many departments reached out to the American Physical Society during times of stress, and APS wrote letters and provided other support. In 2018, the APS Education Policy Committee established a working group dedicated to compiling resources around closure, with the idea of developing and sharing a Departmental Toolkit. In this talk we discuss the ongoing process of envisioning the Departmental Toolkit and describe the current state of the toolkit. Among the elements included in the toolkit will be examples of letters sent, materials developed by departments, as well as suggestions about strategies that departments may undertake (collecting departmental statistics, testimonials from students, and messaging strategies for example).~