Leading in the Immediate Fallout of Campus Homicide
From “shots fired,” this case traces the evolution of responses, treatments, and notifications following a homicide at a college campus, an event that always lures attention across diverse stakeholders within and around the campus, and far beyond. At the core are the challenges of getting a crisis under control, managing stakeholder expectations, and retaining control of information. There will never be a universally applicable playbook for managing crises. Responses must always evolve relative to the particular crisis, its contexts, and its impacts. This case is a rich tool for thinking about contingencies, best practices, and shortcomings from an authentic context. Here, sharp focus is put on crisis leadership specifics of immediate treatment and notification during the first days of the crisis. Approaches are told and exemplified through the words and actions of two leaders, the Chancellor and the University Police Chief.
1. To assess the treatment and notification cycles of a recent crisis in a complex context; to examine how actual leaders’ specific words and actions affect evaluations of crisis management competence.
2. To draw leadership lessons from an actual crisis that occurred in a context familiar to all students.
3. To recognize the breadth, varied and similar interests of stakeholders affected by a crisis.
4. To explore the evolution of a crisis in an industrial setting that personally impacts millions of students, staff, and faculty.
