| This case study identifies and analyzes the public relations efforts undertaken by Idaho State
University (ISU) following its Middle Eastern student crisis in 2016. Using William Benoit’s
Image Repair Theory (IRT), the author explores the effectiveness of ISU’s crisis communication
strategies, tactics, and public engagement efforts undertaken immediately following the
international, multi-faceted crisis. The author suggests the university had low success in its
handling of the crisis due to an initial emphasis on the IRT strategies of denial, evading
responsibility, and reducing offensiveness. In addition to applying Benoit’s theory to ISU’s crisis
response, the author proposes that the university’s reputation management efforts were
moderately bolstered only after public engagement tactics were utilized. This case study relies
heavily on the critical incident technique approach, which uses a combination of interviews and a
content analysis of communication artifacts. The author concludes that the university’s crisis
response strategies were enhanced by the programming of in-person events and face-to-face
meetings with all identified audiences. The author’s findings also suggest that similar, localized
crises involving cross-cultural audiences are best handled when an organization proactively
implements in-person events and face-to-face tactics. The five implications of this case study
include helping higher education practitioners better handle crises, highlighting the need for
additional crisis research to better understand cultural differences, emphasizing how to work with
international audiences, prioritizing in-person events in a post-COVID world, and highlighting
the need for public relations practitioners to be part of senior leadership teams.
Keywords: crisis communication, image repair theory, higher education, Middle Eastern students |