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All Rights Reserved.
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StratCommNet Newsletter
| StratCommNet Newsletter |
| Edition # 103 |
September 3, 2003
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Welcome to our inaugural issue of the StratCommNet newsletter and the beginning of our listserve and website,
which together create a forum for the discussion of current events in higher education involving crisis
communications and integrated marketing.
Our goal is to update you on media coverage of campus crises and the use of integrated marketing in higher ed --
and then provoke robust discussion: How do you plan for and implement the plan during a campus crisis? What is
the potential impact of a campus crisis? How best to enhance our institutional reputations through good marketing?
Bottom line: Your institution can withstand a crisis much better if you have a strong image and reputation.
You do this through good marketing. Campus crises occur, unfortunately, with some regularity. And in the
event of a campus crisis -- and this summer alone we have seen
myriad crises at Baylor University, University of Tennessee, University of Massachusetts, and the
Air Force Academy, to name a few -- how you respond influences the impact of the crisis.
And what are we asking of you? To participate. Let's provoke some good discussion on these crises and the need
to market well. Let us hear from you. Should you see crises or good/bad marketing, share it with the StratComm group.
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Marketing Update
Why move to integrated marketing? How about dollars and sense (cents?). The New York Times, USA Today, the Christian Science Monitor, the International Herald Tribune and the Chronicle of Higher Education all have had in-depth reports in recent days and weeks outlining massive tuition hikes and state funding cuts nationwide. A total of 24 states have cut higher ed budgets this year -- and these by an average of 5 percent. Tuition hikes commonly are double-digit. Thus, we must better market our institutions -- tell our success stories -- to curtail the state funding cuts and explain why tuition hikes are necessary -- and why our institutions remain a bargain.
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Campus Crises in the News
Baylor blues: We all know the sad and sordid story of Baylor basketball. While the Waco, Texas, faith-based institution struggles to contend with the murder of a basketball player and resignations of the basketball coach and athletic director, the institution's long-term reputation hangs in the balance. See the latest treatise updating us on the long, hot summer for the Baylor Bears. See the Miami Herald's column about former Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss.
Athletic Scandals Dominate the Headlines: It's not just Baylor that is dragged down by crisis. A gaggle of institutions are in similar shape.See the latest update in sports crises from the San Jose Mercury News:
University of Tennessee president resigns: After a messy divorce thrust the University of Tennessee into chaos, campus President John Shumaker resigned amid allegations ranging from misuse of state funds to a rigged presidential search. The tabloids should have a field day with this crisis; The Knoxville News-Sentinel has covered the story well:
U. Mass presidential crisis makes UT look tame: U. Mass President William M. Bulger resigned recently amid allegations of ties to organized crime. See the Boston Herald's latest story:
University of Georgia's crises multiply exponentially: The University of Georgia, once known simply as the South's top party school, is knee-deep in crises -- from the president to athletics and back. Now times have worsened. See the Augusta Chronicle's update on problems in Athens:
Saber rattling tongue lashing: Just when you thought The Air Force Academy's sexual assault scandal was thing of the past, a gaggle of cadets were found -- drunk -- with underage girls in a local hotel. The problems at the military academy persist. See the Kansas City Star's and the Atlanta Journal with the latest:
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© 2003 Newswise. All Rights Reserved.
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