Effects of COVID-19 on Higher Education Messaging: A Qualitative Study of Leadership and Crisis Communication

Crises are unpredictable events that affect the organization and all the stakeholders. In higher education, crises are often found in a single institution or small region, depending on the nature of the situation. The coronavirus pandemic presented an opportunity to understand the impact of crises on a larger scale. This study explored how college and university leaders responded to and communicated with their stakeholders. It looked at how mission statements connected with institutions' COVID-19 communication and leadership theories aligned with the messaging. This study used qualitative content analysis to examine the websites and publicly available messaging of fifteen colleges and universities accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The sample was narrowed down based on the basic Carnegie Classification category, and additional demographic data was collected from the sample. The study focused on information from each institution's COVID-19 website and publicly available messages for the Spring 2021 semester. Communication is necessary for making sense of crises. The study suggests that leaders need to consider what information is provided and how it is relayed so stakeholders can find it and receive it. Further, messaging should balance informational and interpersonal to ensure stakeholders gain knowledge and are reminded of their value to the organization. Determining leadership theories was impacted by the limitations of secondary data but aligned with the literature, which indicated that a variety of leadership theories could be applied to crisis events. However, it suggested that a leader's approach to a crisis should adapt to the organization's needs as the crisis evolves. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]