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Publication Date

4-1-2022

Document Type

Poster

Degree Type

Graduate

Department

Communication

Mentor

John Baldwin

Mentor Department

Communication

Abstract

Community relations is a valuable tool to the success of every organization. Even nonprofit organizations like universities may struggle to thrive if there are little or no relations between the organization and its community. However, Bruning et al. (2006) argue that instead of creating mutually beneficial relations, many universities have viewed the community as a “client” and “focused their efforts on fulfilling contractual responsibilities to ensure the flow of federal dollars” (p. 126). Kim et al. (2006) stress that the relationship between a university and its local community should go beyond the point where students simply “get along well with” community members. Therefore, this study aims to explore the activities that a University Marketing and Communications (UMC) office in a mid-Western university in the United States engages in to create a positive image for the school. It also examines the strategies the UMC adopts to manage crises with the university’s local communities. Using a narrative design, I recruited and interviewed six participants for approximately 30 minutes each, asking about their community relations activities and the strategies their office adopts in managing crises between the university and its local communities. I followed Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis to code the data into themes. The study showed that the UMC engages in four types of activities to create a positive image for their university. These activities include campus-related activities, community-related activities, alumni-related activities, and social intervention activities. Each activity has its own target audience, but the general goal is to engage the local communities. In managing crises between the university and its local communities, the UMC follows five of the guidelines discussed in Seeger’s (2006) “Best Practice in Crisis Communication” framework: (1) Pre-event planning, (2) Partnerships with the public, (3) Listen to the public’s concerns and understand the audience, (4) Honesty, candor, and openness, and (5) Collaborate and coordinate with credible sources. The UMC also follows two other guidelines that are not captured in Seeger’s framework: (1) Respond in a timely fashion and (2) Address social media complaints as a real-world crisis. Limitations include that the study was conducted at only one university in the Midwest in the United States. It would be helpful to replicate the study in more than one university in different States. Second, the study examined community relations from the perspective of a university. Future studies should explore university-community relation from community members’ perspective. Finally, the results of this study rely on the experience of only six participants. Future research may recruit more participants.

Comments

Community relations is a valuable tool to the success of every organization. Even nonprofit organizations like universities may struggle to thrive if there are little or no relations between the organization and its community. However, Bruning et al. (2006) argue that instead of creating mutually beneficial relations, many universities have viewed the community as a “client” and “focused their efforts on fulfilling contractual responsibilities to ensure the flow of federal dollars” (p. 126). Kim et al. (2006) stress that the relationship between a university and its local community should go beyond the point where students simply “get along well with” community members. Therefore, this study aims to explore the activities that a University Marketing and Communications (UMC) office in a mid-Western university in the United States engages in to create a positive image for the school. It also examines the strategies the UMC adopts to manage crises with the university’s local communities. Using a narrative design, I recruited and interviewed six participants for approximately 30 minutes each, asking about their community relations activities and the strategies their office adopts in managing crises between the university and its local communities. I followed Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis to code the data into themes. The study showed that the UMC engages in four types of activities to create a positive image for their university. These activities include campusrelated activities, community-related activities, alumni-related activities, and social intervention activities. Each activity has its own target audience, but the general goal is to engage the local communities. In managing crises between the university and its local communities, the UMC follows five of the guidelines discussed in Seeger’s (2006) “Best Practice in Crisis Communication” framework: (1) Pre-event planning, (2) Partnerships with the public, (3) Listen to the public’s concerns and understand the audience, (4) Honesty, candor, and openness, and (5) Collaborate and coordinate with credible sources. The UMC also follows two other guidelines that are not captured in Seeger’s framework: (1) Respond in a timely fashion and (2) Address social media complaints as a real-world crisis. Limitations include that the study was conducted at only one university in the Midwest in the United States. It would be helpful to replicate the study in more than one university in different States. Second, the study examined community relations from the perspective of a university. Future studies should explore universitycommunity relation from community members’ perspective. Finally, the results of this study rely on the experience of only six participants. Future research may recruit more participants.

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