Issues Management

Universities are in no way immune to issues or crises. In fact, a wider variety of problems may strike a campus than many much larger organizations because of the complexity and openness that characterize institutions of higher education. An "issue" includes, but is not limited to, fire, outbreak and spread of serious illness, rape, academic controversies, community issues, etc.

Avoiding Issues Through Preparation

The best issues management happens when there is no issue. In fact, by preparing for an issue, organizations often avoid crisis situations — much like the "ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure" adage. Public Affairs uses a communication-oriented process to develop issue contingency plans. Through a facilitated brainstorming session with key individuals likely to be involved in a given contingency, the Public Affairs Office will develop a communication plan that prescribes a set of specific actions designed to address stated objectives.

Incorporated in that planning will be the roles and responsibilities of various offices and individuals, including the president and cabinet members. As an event may escalate, the university has a procedure to activate an issues management team and a communication protocol for issue escalation.

The Issues Management Team

The president of the university is responsible for the operation of the university at all times. When the president has determined that an issue exists, she or he will immediately inform the chancellor's office and convene an issues management team. The team will be formed based on the specifics of the situation and will include all or some of the following university officials:

Provost
Vice President for Student Affairs
Vice President for Administration
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Executive Assistant to the President
Director of Media Relations
Chief of the University Police

The president will chair the team. In the president's absence, or at his or her direction, the team will be convened and chaired by the provost, and subsequently, by other members of the issues management team in the order shown above. Depending on the facts of the issue at hand, other members of the campus community or local officials may be asked to join the IMT.

The IMT's responsibilities are to:

1. Analyze the situation and recommend to the president (or designee) steps to be taken to resolve the problem.
2. Review and approve information relative to the situation to be disseminated on and off campus.
3. Coorvise university cooperation with appropriate outside agencies involved in the situation.
4. Preprdinate all university response efforts.
5. Supeare an "after action" report assessing the university's performance during the situation and recommend to the president needed changes to the issues management procedures.

In addition to its duties during crises, the IMT will be responsible for conducting periodic issues management drills at the direction of the president. Through these drills, the university can reduce its vulnerability to crises.

The IMT will manage crises for the university according to the following guidelines and principles:

1. The safety and security of individuals is to be considered of paramount importance.
2. Information from the institution should flow from one source during the situation. That source will ordinarily be the Director of Media Relations or a spokesperson designated by the IMT.
3. Information should be provided as fully and rapidly as possible to the appropriate outlets, consistent with safety and accuracy. In addition, all information released to the media should be consistent with information being provided to all other parties. All releases of information must be cleared with the president or his or her IMT designee.
4. A formal information flow for a potential or real issue is detailed below. However, the IMT should always consider any other communication requirements, to include communication with faculty/staff, student leaders, alumni leaders, other governmental or external agencies, and parents.
   
   Media needs: During a crisis, media will likely be the most demanding for information. The IMT must assume that any information released to any of the individuals/groups listed above will eventually be in the hands of the media.
5. IMT assignments will take precedence over ordinary tasks. IMT decisions will be relayed through the highest appropriate organizational level consistent with the need to implement crisis decisions promptly and effectively.

The IMT will operate from a central location that is clearly identified for all who may require access to it. Unless otherwise decided at the time of the crisis by the president or his or her designee, this location is the 9th Floor Conference Room in the Haggerty Administration Building. If the 9th Floor Conference Room is inaccessible, the alternate site will be the conference room in the Service Building. If all campus facilities are inaccessible, the IMT will operate from the Town Hall.

Communication Protocol/Issue Escalation

Issues will vary in their degree of impact on the campus and the community. Many times, issues that would normally go unnoticed become the focal point of larger debates because of related news events elsewhere or political agendas. In short, a seemingly innocuous event can become a full-scale crisis issue. Based on that reality, the university has a communication protocol to ensure that key individuals are informed of potential situations in a timely fashion. Below are generic situations and associated contact lists. Each person notified will assess the situation and determine if the notification of the next office in line is necessary. A rule of thumb: If there is any doubt as to whether the next in line should be notified, make the call.

Communication Protocol:

Event: Fire, flooding or other physical disaster in campus facilities, other than residence halls:

Event: Issue involving student(s), residence hall, Student Union Building

Event: Issue involving faculty or academic programming