Since the first institution was founded, higher education in the United States has been viewed as political. But over the past decade, we’ve shifted from having our faculty experts comment during election years to having candidates use our work and missions as polarizing talking points. Regardless of your role in marketing or communications, your affiliation with a U.S. or an international university, or your role on campus, grasping the interconnected nature of higher education and politics will empower you to be more effective in your role. Teresa will provide vital tools for proactive, strategic, and thoughtful action. In addition, this session will provide data and national trends from the current election year to frame how we can help our leaders look around corners and return to strategically communicating with our internal and external stakeholders to remain true to our strategic foci and key messages. Teresa will share what works in a polarizing environment, what we need to plan for in the coming months, and how we should position our expertise for different stakeholders so we can have a leadership role in shaping our own narratives and our institutions’ reputations.

Participants will leave the session with:

• Data and insights on where higher education is vulnerable politically
• Resources for communicating in a highly charged election year
• Multiple examples of guidelines and frameworks for deciding whether or not a statement is needed
• Communications, policy, and decision-making considerations and recommendations based on what other institutions have faced
• Recommendations for managing up