A Strategic Communication Approach to Crisis Situations: A Case Study Analysis of Transformative Events at George Mason University and Northern Illinois University

The great success of George Mason University’s men’s basketball team in the 2006 NCAA tournament and the multiple shootings that occurred at Northern Illinois University in 2008 placed high demands on both institutions. Both situations fit the definition of a crisis and, as result, required leaders of the two universities to initiate appropriate actions. Steps the two took, however, included minimal linkage to their institution’s overall strategic communication plans. To address this issue, a qualitative case study was conducted in which key leaders from both institutions were interviewed about their first-hand experience with the 2006 and 2008 crises, including perspectives on possibly linking the two communication plans.

Daniel Walsch has been part of the communication industry for over 40 years, first as a journalist and then as an accredited public relations practitioner. He is press secretary and an adjunct professor of public relations at George Mason University where he also earned his PhD.