Strategic Public Relations: Managing Communication DuringCrisis – A Case Study of the 2016 IUP Facultyand Staff Strike

This study examines the 2016 Faculty Strike of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania ‎‎(IUP) and identifies the communication approaches and responses that were adopted by IUP to ‎address the nature of the crisis, fix the reputational damage, and rebuild trust with stakeholders ‎in the post-strike phase. The study also explored how IUP identified and prioritized stakeholders ‎based on salience. As for the theoretical framework, the study used Situational Crisis ‎Communication Theory (SCCT) to understand how IUP aligned its crisis communication ‎strategies with SCCT. As for the methodology, this study employed a case study and thematic ‎analysis methods. The findings of this study indicated several key elements that characterized ‎IUP’s crisis communication strategies. The alignment of IUP’s crisis communication strategies ‎with SCCT was evident. This research contributes to the academic conversations on crisis ‎communication and public relations and can also serve as a valuable resource for institutions ‎seeking to promote their crisis management and communication practices in the face of complex ‎and multifaceted challenges that define the modern landscape of higher education‎.