Reputation management is key to the response of universities to the COVID-19 pandemic. The W100 Network is working with members to share intelligence and experiences during this challenging period.
So far our efforts have included numerous blog posts, collating thoughts, examples and comms from reputation leaders at the best global universities. As well as this we have conducted the following:
1. A webinar with Andrea Farquhar, Assistant Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs, McMaster University
During this webinar, our experts discussed university communications in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key points of discussion included:
- Internal communications and crisis management; What are the challenges for communicators? What are the Processes that should be put in place?
- How comms teams are promoting the role of universities in supporting society
- The reputational benefits of communicating their university’s research on COVID-19
2. A new longitudinal survey looking to monitor how world-leading universities are feeling about the crisis, which area is the most heated, and how their response is changing.
The survey, Taking the Temperature of Covid19, asks participating universities to answer 10 questions based on their experience of COVID from a university comms and reputation point of view in the month previous. March’s results are in and contain insights from 65 universities across 22 countries. April’s survey is now open, but you don’t have long left. Click here to view March’s dashboard and fill in April’s survey.
3. 2 webinars looking at the data from March to the above survey
Due to our international audience, we conducted 2 versions of our Taking the Temperature survey to cover various time zones. The first; catering for North American and European time zones was hosted by our own Louise Simpson, alongside Eilis O’Brien, Director of Communications and Marketing at University College Dublin and Jillian Hamilton, Issues and Strategic Communications Manager at University of Alberta. The second, aimed at Asian and Australasian time zones was hosted by our own Mark Sudbury, alongside Tracy Chalk, Marketing Director, University of Newcastle, Australia.
Both webinars saw speakers analyze the results of the survey, giving their insight on the findings and sharing their own experience of Coronavirus at their own institution.
If you would like to sign up to receive information on future World 100 webinars, you can do so here.
