Although there are some crisis situations that occur without warning, many incidents can be anticipated and mitigated before they turn into crises. Marketing and Communications (MaC) helps facilitate and maintain effective communication during crisis situations, ranging from campus emergencies to circumstances threatening the integrity of the university.
Emergency Communications
In the event of a major tropical storm, hurricane, fire or other campus or regional emergency, MaC plays a lead role in communicating with the campus community and various external audiences.
Because safety is of the utmost importance, the university continues to explore a variety of ways to communicate in the event of an emergency. The use of each of these tools will vary based on the nature, duration and severity of an emergency. Some of the ways in which campus emergency notifications and up-to-date information may be communicated include the Seahawk Siren System, the UNCW Emergency Information Hotline, blast e-mails, the UNCW Alert Web site and mass text messages.
Additional information on these and other tools is available here.
Non-Emergency Crisis Response
If you are in need of assistance with either a potential campus crisis or an issue that needs managing, immediately call Cindy Lawson, Assistant to the Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, at 910.962.2059 or 910.279.0479, or Kelly Baker at 910. 962.2088.
MaC will gather the facts about the situation, research similar situations and provide advice regarding the best institutional or departmental response. Target audiences and appropriate communication vehicles will be identified, and a communication strategy will be developed, including talking points to be used when responding to media queries.
Crisis Communications Manual
The UNCW Crisis Communications Manual is a proprietary document. Please direct any inquiries about crisis communication procedures to Cindy Lawson, Assistant to the Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, at 910.962.2059 or lawsonc@uncw.edu.
