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

Guided by the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT), this study examined the crisis communication messaging strategies utilized by the University of Florida's President Kent 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 impact these messages had on the public's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement. The results of the study suggest that a majority of the posts were concerned with helping people cope psychologically with the crisis. Suffering was the most frequently utilized reputation repair strategy. Regarding the public's response, significant differences were found between users of Facebook and Twitter. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.