Responding thoughtfully to critical campus incidents

University leaders often face immense pressure from various stakeholders to comment on events such as mass shootings, natural disasters, student deaths, hateful remarks, Supreme Court decisions, and more. This pressure can also arise from critical incidents within the classroom or a campus building. Rather than hastily heeding to the pressure to respond—often by issuing an email statement—take a moment to evaluate your options.  

Check out more about commenting on high profile incidents and recommendations for responding to a death of a student, faculty or staff member. 

Our internal communications team is here to help. Reach out to us at internalcomms@umn.edu for guidance on effectively responding to critical incidents that may impact your employees and students.