Crisis Communication in Institutions of Higher Education: Richard Spencer at the University of Florida

摘要

Guided by the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), this study examined thecrisis communication messaging strategies utilized by the University of Florida’s PresidentKent Fuchs on Facebook and Twitter when the controversial speaker, Richard Spencer,planned to speak at UF. Through a content analysis, this study also examined the impactthese messages had on the public’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. Theresults of the study suggest that a majority of the posts were concerned with helping peoplecope psychologically with the crisis. Suffering was the most frequently utilized reputationrepair strategy. Regarding the public’s response, significant differences were found betweenusers of Facebook and Twitter. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.