FIR on Higher Education #12: Michael Schoenfeld on Crisis Communications

How prepared are you to deal with a crisis scenario from a communications perspective? If you are uncertain in your response to this question or just want to hear some best practice, then you will want to give this episode a listen.

Michael Schoenfeld, Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Duke University, shares his thoughts and experiences on dealing with crisis communications situations at a university level. He reflects on the learnings from the Duke lacrosse scandal, the importance of balancing transparency with privacy and how to best handle crises that involve school violence.

In our reports section, I outline some resources to prepare for crisis communications, while technology correspondent Harry Hawk reflects on his learnings from integrating Vine into his classroom.

About Michael Schoenfeld

Michael J. Schoenfeld is Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations at Duke University. He oversees communications and advocacy for the university and medical center, the university’s Washington, DC, center, and serves as Duke’s chief spokesperson. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the Sanford School of Public Policy, where he teaches a course on media and politics.

As the chief external affairs strategist, he directs the Duke’s efforts to connect with local, regional, national and global audiences, represents the university before a wide range of constituencies, and oversees crisis and issues management. Schoenfeld is also co-founder and chairman of Futurity (www.futurity.org), a multimedia consortium of more than 60 leading research universities from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.

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About Your Host

Kevin AnselmoKevin Anselmo is the Founder and Principal of Experiential Communications, a consultancy focused on education. He helps brands within academia - whether individual or corporate - communicate with stakeholders. He also teaches communications and public relations workshops to different individuals and groups.

Previously, Kevin was Director of Public Relations for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and prior to that managed the media relations for IMD Business School in Switzerland. In addition, he was an adjunct communications professor at Nyack College in New York.

Currently based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Kevin lived and worked in Switzerland for eight years and in Germany for two years. He has led public relations initiatives in various countries around the world.

Find Kevin on Twitter: @kevinanselmo.

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FIR on Higher Education is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by Kevin Anselmo on 06/13 at 06:14 AM

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