Written by: Jacqueline Kolek, Co-President & Managing Director
Higher education is already operating in an incredibly challenging environment. Colleges and universities are facing political scrutiny, questions about affordability and value, enrollment pressures, funding uncertainty and growing skepticism among many of the stakeholders they serve. When a crisis hits on top of all of that, the reputational impact can be significant.
Recent incidents at Penn State, Cornell and the University of Chicago show how quickly individual misconduct or a campus safety issue can become an institutional problem. How a school responds to an issue can be just as consequential as the issue itself, raising broader questions about safety, oversight, campus culture and leadership. — prompting concerns from parents, prospective students, alumni, donors, employees and faculty, while putting the institution itself under greater scrutiny.
For higher education leaders, crisis preparedness can no longer mean simply having a communications plan on a shared drive. Institutions need a clear framework for how issues are identified, escalated and managed, particularly when multiple leaders and functions are involved. Just as important, they need to be able to communicate clearly and consistently when facts are still developing and stakeholders are looking for answers.
Know where you are vulnerable
Every institution has a different risk profile, whether it involves Greek life, athletics, student protests, faculty conduct, cybersecurity, research integrity, campus safety, labor disputes or financial pressures.
Leadership teams should plan for the vulnerabilities they can anticipate while building the flexibility to manage those they cannot predict. That means regularly identifying issues most likely to create reputational risk, assessing the institution’s readiness and clarifying ownership, escalation and decision rights. If an issue emerges, who owns it? Who needs to know? Who has the authority to act? Those questions are far easier to answer before a crisis begins.
Test the plan before you need it
Most institutions have some version of a crisis plan, but the real test is whether it enables leaders to respond quickly when every minute matters.
Higher education leaders should regularly run through scenarios that reflect the complexity of a university cabinet, requiring multiple stakeholders to align, make decisions and act quickly under pressure.
Start by asking:
- Who needs to be involved?
- Who do we consult vs. who is a decision maker?
- When should the cabinet and trustees be informed?
- · Who is responsible for communicating what we know—and what we don’t?
- How quickly can the institution communicate with students, parents, faculty, community members and employees?
The goal is not to script a response to every possible crisis. It is to ensure the right people can be engaged quickly, understand their roles and decision rights, and work together efficiently when difficult choices arise.
Think about what stakeholders are really asking
In a crisis, the facts are only the starting point. Stakeholders are quickly deciding what the incident says about the institution itself. A university may see the actions of a few individuals; parents may see a safety problem. Alumni and donors may question oversight. Prospective students may wonder whether the issue reflects a deeper problem with campus culture.
That is where institutions can lose control of the narrative, especially when the facts are still developing. While leaders are working to understand what happened, stakeholders are already forming opinions. Institutions need to communicate clearly about what they know, what they are still trying to understand and what they are doing in response. They may not have every answer right away, but they should show that the issue is being taken seriously and keep stakeholders informed as more information becomes available.
While leaders are focused on explaining what happened, stakeholders are already asking a bigger question: What does this say about the university? Communications teams need to anticipate that question and address the broader concerns around safety, leadership, accountability and culture, not just the incident itself.
Don’t wait for a crisis to build your reputation
Higher education institutions are already being asked to demonstrate their value at a time when many are also defending their reputations. That makes proactive communications even more important.
Colleges and universities need to consistently communicate their impact, including the holistic student experience, how research is advancing society, how institutions contribute to their communities and what makes the outcomes they provide worth the investment.
A strong reputation will not make a serious issue disappear, and communications should never be used to minimize a legitimate problem. But institutions that have built trust over time are in a stronger position when something goes wrong. Their stakeholders know who they are, what they stand for and how they typically operate, which can make a real difference in how the institution’s response is received.
No university can prevent every bad decision made by every individual connected to its campus. What leaders can do is make sure the institution is prepared when those decisions become a reputational issue. In the current higher education environment, that work needs to begin long before the headlines hit.
