Crisis Communications

As part of my multi-year engagement with Education Realty Trust, (NYSE:EDR) a collegiate student housing REIT, I provided on-call crisis management and communication services for regional and front-line managers at the company’s 60+ on- and off-campus communities at colleges in 20+ states.

In addition, I provided media relations and crisis communications training for managers on an annual basis. My key message now as then is that while we cannot control negative events that may occur at our communities or with our residents, we must control how we respond to those events.

An especially challenging crisis occurred when a co-ed was killed at her off-campus apartment near Clemson University. The death occurred over a holiday weekend just weeks before EDR executives were set to meet institutional investors and financial analysts in New York City. Since “trust” was part of the company’s name, there was an implicit message to parents of college students to trust us to provide safe, secure housing. There was genuine concern among senior management that the media storm might damage the company, its reputation and share price.

I went to South Carolina where I provided real-time crisis communications support, dealing with local, regional and national media and assisting managers there with their communications with residents and the university community. I closely monitored progress of the investigation. I prepared C-suite executives well. And I accompanied them to the meetings, responding authoritatively when questions about the death surfaced. Shortly after the NYC event, authorities caught, charged and convicted a serial rapist, mistakenly released early from prison, for the crime.

After EDR leadership changed and the company was sold, I provided crisis communications and media relations support as needed to regional and front-line managers of Pierce Education Properties, a privately held company that has developed nearly 30 communities in 18 states. It currently manages nine collegiate communities. I am still called on to assist from time-to-time.