In the world of crisis, risk and disaster communication, corporate leaders, elected officials and the heads of other institutions face two hard truths. First, the demand for effective crisis, risk and disaster communication is growing worldwide. Second, most people are not very good at it.
Recent, highly publicized examples of the response to reputational threats show that effective communication is often the difference between success and failure. And as we have seen over the past year, higher education is not immune to these threats. Public and private institutions across the nation – from Harvard to UCLA – have come under fire for the ways they have managed campus crises.
Fortunately, higher education can also be part of the solution.
Here at the University of Georgia, academics and practitioners from industry, non-profits and the public sector have worked collaboratively for more than a decade to prepare future generations of crisis, risk and disaster communicators.
Now we’re taking these initiatives to the next level.
A vitally important new graduate certificate
Beginning this fall, UGA will offer a Graduate Certificate in Crisis, Risk, and Disaster Communication that will provide students with the necessary skills to manage the most complex communication issues.
Based on our analysis of comparable academic institutions, UGA’s new graduate certificate will be the first of its kind in the nation, by combining what we like to call the “Three I’s.”
First, it is international, bringing together many of the finest minds in this field from around the world.
Second, it is interconnected, combining the evidence-based perspective of academics with the practical insights of professional communicators with decades of real-world experience.
Finally, it is interdisciplinary, incorporating the strengths of nationally recognized programs at schools and colleges across UGA, including:
- The Crisis Communication Think Tank, housed in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication – featured by the Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management as a best-practice model for bridging crisis management researchers and practitioners globally.
- The Risk Management and Insurance Program in the Terry College of Business – the largest undergraduate RMI program in the U.S. and ranked in the Top 3 by U.S. News & World Report since 2006.
- The College of Public Health’s Institute for Disaster Management – one of only six nationwide that offer a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in disaster management.
The certificate’s curriculum is designed to be completed within two years. It will utilize currently available UGA graduate courses, personnel and facilities – combining classroom instruction with experiential learning opportunities.
Graduate students who successfully complete the certificate will have the advanced communication management knowledge, skills, hands-on experiences and demonstrated competencies to work with organizational leaders, corporate executives, community partners, media professionals and key stakeholders in and outside organizations to effectively manage crisis, risk and disaster threats and challenges.
These graduates will be better able to provide sound guidance on issues that can quickly and profoundly harm organizational reputation, business well-being, and public health and safety.
Eventually, we hope to scale this initiative to certify crisis, risk and disaster communicators worldwide – including coursework offered online and through UGA’s Terry Executive Education program in Crisis Management, based on the collaboration between Terry College and Grady College. This potential is already generating interest among communicators well beyond the state of Georgia.
Crisis communicator Dick Yarbrough’s vision
UGA’s latest milestone in this academic discipline is a testament to the vision – and financial support – of a university alumnus who has been recognized as one of the most influential crisis communicators of the past century. C. Richard Yarbrough spent more than four decades working in corporate public relations, as a Vice President with Bell South and Managing Director of Communications and Government Relations for the Atlanta Committee for the 1996 Olympic Games – where he led the committee through its response to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing.
A 1959 UGA graduate, Dick Yarbrough has stated repeatedly that his goal is to make the University of Georgia “the go-to place for the study of crises.” UGA’s new graduate certificate will enable the university to take a significant step toward making Dick’s goal a reality.
Dr. Yan Jin is the C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership and Director of the Crisis Communication Think Tank, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Dr. James M. Carson is the Daniel P. Amos Distinguished Professor of Insurance and Head of the Department of Insurance, Legal Studies and Real Estate, Terry College of Business. Dr. Curt A. Harris is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health and Director of the college’s Institute for Disaster Management.
Click here to learn more about UGA’s new Graduate Certificate in Crisis, Risk, and Disaster Communication.
