The Virginia Tech Shootings: Implications for Crisis Communication in Educational Settings

By examining Virginia Tech’s crisis communication during and after the shootings on April 16, 2007, valuable insights were gained that may be applied to current crisis communication models. This article addresses the unique characteristics of educational institutions and the need for comprehensive emergency communication strategies and onsite crisis communication that may conflict with the interests of media and the public. The findings reveal a failure of crisis recognition and inadequate crisis incident management. Virginia Tech exercised effective crisis leadership in its postcrisis communication with media and the university community but was less successful in communicating with the victims’ families.