Statement on Community Messages
Regular communication between the president and the Roanoke College community is critical. The president will communicate regularly with the community through both formal and informal channels. Communications may be handled through the following channels:
- Campus meetings
- Faculty meetings
- Board of trustee reports to campus
- Emails to students, faculty and staff
- Emails to alumni or parents
- News or statements on the college website
- Roanoke College Magazine
Many of these communications allow constituents to respond to the president, and it is important for the president to know what is on the minds of faculty, staff and students, as well as alumni, parents and others in our community. Comments and suggestions are welcomed at president@roanoke.edu and will inform the work of the president and the president’s cabinet.
The president often receives requests to speak about specific issues. The voice of the institution’s leader is a powerful tool for communicating during good times and bad, and the president will use this voice when appropriate. However, the overuse of presidential statements can lead to an expectation that the president and the President’s Office should respond to a broad range of issues or national and world events, even those that do not directly affect the Roanoke community. Such frequent presidential messaging may undermine the regard and importance of a president’s message in times when it is especially needed and create an expectation that the president should respond to every situation, thereby de-emphasizing the importance of other voices in the community.
The following are examples of some, but not all, situations that may merit communication directly from the president:
- Crisis situations directly affecting Roanoke College and/or our college community (faculty/student/staff).
Roanoke’s crisis protocol guides processes and procedures during emergency situations such as a serious crime, a weather-related situation or a major disruption to operations. Maroon Alerts are typically the first communications, with a follow-up message from the president largely to provide a broader update and share additional key information and emotional support, when warranted, during response and recovery. At times, a message from the vice president (or dean, director or coach) who oversees the area most closely connected to the situation is more appropriate. A decision as to when and how to send messages or statements from the president is advised through the emergency management team. - Matters related specifically to the college’s core mission of developing students as whole persons and preparing them for lives of learning, service and leadership.
- Significant national or world events have occurred.
- Matters that are related specifically to our institutional priorities and/or the president’s strategic priorities (e.g. liberal arts education, educational access and equity, other institutional and presidential priorities).
- A tragedy that involves direct impact to individuals or groups in the college community. Consideration should always be given to whether other college administrators can and should serve as primary messengers. This applies especially when a situation involves a specific audience in the college community and the area vice president or dean is the most informed source of information. For example, in situations related to the academic enterprise/faculty, the vice president for Academic Affairs likely will serve as messenger. On matters specific to the student body, the vice president for student success may serve as messenger. It is expected that administrators — senior leaders in particular — will share plans and draft communications prior to messages being sent to broad constituencies (i.e. college community, students, faculty, parents, alumni, etc.).
- In situations where significant numbers in our community may be anxious or affected, our expectation is that the Office of Student Success will reach out directly to students to make sure that they have the support they need.
- We expect the same response from Human Resources when faculty and staff members are directly affected.
- Events or other gatherings to demonstrate support and concern and to share perspectives are supported and encouraged. These events often will be organized at the local level and organically by college or student groups, though there may be instances when an all-college gathering is warranted and appropriate (e.g., 9/11).
- Vice presidents and/or department/program heads may wish to share communication with their respective communities, and a coach may wish to share with a particular athletic team. Any such communication is permitted under this protocol; a copy should be shared with the vice president for marketing and communication to disseminate to the president’s cabinet and other campus leaders, as needed.
- The Chaplain’s Office notifies the campus community (including faculty, staff, students and retirees, as appropriate), in consultation with an individual’s family (when feasible), about the death of a retiree, trustee, student, faculty or staff member.
- The president will attempt to honor requests for responses or interviews from external media about important matters or situations (i.e., strategic planning, broad presidential priorities, presidential decisions directly related to the student experience, news features pertaining to presidential leadership, major initiatives and decisions, etc.). He is also committed to maintaining a strong relationship with student media reporters, as their preparation as future journalists is valuable, and a student newspaper is an important campus voice.
However, to provide the most helpful and timely information, in many cases the president will refer a question to another campus leader or expert most closely associated with the topic. To best determine whether the president should comment or is available to comment, or if a reporter is unsure whom the best contact may be, the reporter should contact the Office of Marketing and Communications (rcnews@roanoke.edu) to assist in quickly finding the best source for information.
The Office of Marketing and Communications’ goal is to connect media with the best campus source of information whenever possible. However, on certain matters, the college may issue a statement on behalf of the institution or on behalf of leadership.
When other voices are appropriate
It is important for other leaders on campus, all of whom are essential members of the president’s team, to be represented when a supportive, caring or unifying voice is necessary. Following are examples of situations or circumstances when the president will defer to other campus leaders:
● When a preliminary message is needed in advance of an important presidential communication.
● Day-to-day media requests that are more appropriate for subject or topic experts or departmental leaders.
● When an alumnus, student or employee is involved in a national incident or suspected of wrongdoing; Roanoke will respect due process and the privacy of individuals involved.
Reporters should contact the Office of Marketing and Communications to be connected to the campus expert most closely associated with the story topic or for help with a breaking news story at rcnews@roanoke.edu.
Channels of presidential communication
Multiple channels of communication are available for sharing presidential messages, statements or other responses. Not all channels will be necessary for every message; email, for example, is reserved for instances when a message must reach every member of a stakeholder community (i.e., all alumni, all staff and faculty, all students or parents). Social media may share these messages to a wider audience or to recognize contributions of the campus community.
Those channels are:
- Campus email (or video in specific circumstances) directly from the president
- Statement issued through the Office of Marketing and Communications for attribution to the president or the college’s Public Information Officer
- News release on the Roanoke College website
- Other channels managed by Marketing and Communications, such as the Roanoke Today daily email, Inside Roanoke news posts, Roanoke Magazine, or the New and Notable email newsletter to students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents
- Message posted to the president’s webpage (community messages are archived on the president’s page for ongoing reference.)
- Social media posts from the president’s Instagram feed (@roanokecollegepresident) and college’s social feeds on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
*Adapted with permission from the DePauw University and Washington University of St. Louis presidential communications protocol.
Posted Aug. 19, 2024