Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    University Transformation
Sign In
Leadership

How 3 Crisis-Communications Experts Would Have Handled the Uproar at Mount St. Mary’s

By Rio Fernandes February 12, 2016

[Updated (2/12/2016, 5:12 p.m.) to note that the university offered to reinstate the professors late Friday.]

Over the last few weeks Mount St. Mary’s University of Maryland has been engulfed in controversy over its president’s handling of a controversial student-retention plan, which was first covered by its student newspaper.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

[Updated (2/12/2016, 5:12 p.m.) to note that the university offered to reinstate the professors late Friday.]

Over the last few weeks Mount St. Mary’s University of Maryland has been engulfed in controversy over its president’s handling of a controversial student-retention plan, which was first covered by its student newspaper.

The Experts

Gene Grabowski, partner at Kglobal, in Washington

Erin A. Hennessy, vice president of TVP Communications, in Washington

Thomas J. Fladung, vice president of Hennes Communications, in Cleveland

The various legs of the controversy are now well known to higher-ed watchers: first the now-infamously blunt comments about unprepared students — “Instead of thinking of students as cuddly bunnies, you just have to drown the bunnies … put a Glock to their heads” — then the reported firing and attempted reinstatement of two professors for violating their “duty of loyalty” to the university by criticizing the plan. Through it all, critics of the president, Simon P. Newman, have been quick to say he failed in managing the furor.

The Chronicle spoke with three crisis-communications experts about how they would have suggested Mr. Newman handle each of the controversies he has faced. The conversations have been edited for clarity and length.

Uproar at Mount St. Mary’s

Simon Newman -Sodebar

A controversial freshman-retention plan at Mount St. Mary’s University of Maryland, and the way the institution handled the ensuing criticism, cast the small Roman Catholic campus and its president, Simon P. Newman, in a harsh light. Mr. Newman resigned after weeks of controversy, having drawn the ire of his own faculty and many others in higher education. Read full Chronicle coverage, along with commentaries, in these articles.

How would you have advised Mr. Newman in the wake of the “drowning bunnies” report?

Mr. Grabowski: The strategy he should’ve employed is what I call “running to the light.” Acknowledging that, “Yes, I used some aggressive language. Perhaps it was a little too aggressive in a university setting. But my intent is that the students that are here are getting a good education and are able to graduate because we owe them that.”

Ms. Hennessy: You’re dealing with a particularly vivid image. Talking about bunnies and Glocks, that’s not an image you’re going to forget for a while. I think our team or any team would advise him to stop, step back, and offer a sincere apology that really addresses the underlying issues, to really dig in and understand why the way his words were used caused offense.

Mr. Fladung: Our first line for every client is, “Tell the truth, tell it all, tell it first.” What if the president had gone to the newspaper and said, “Look, I want to sit down with you for a longer interview about the retention program.” Or maybe the president could’ve written an op-ed piece explaining his position. Take the opportunity to explain yourself. I have to believe, in every one of those instances, you don’t get what you have now.

What about the firings? How might you have handled those differently?

Mr. Grabowski: He needed to go to allies first. I would’ve gone to any faculty members he knows and at least inform them, “Look I need to take these actions, and here are the reasons for doing it.” He needed to build some alliances, and he didn’t do it. He has isolated himself by making unilateral decisions.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ms. Hennessy: I don’t think we’ve seen the institution really come out and talk about why the decisions had been made. I think that’s the burning question. When you make a decision that doesn’t take into consideration those policies and procedures that have been laid out and followed, in 99 out of 100 cases people start to raise questions. If the institution doesn’t answer them, I don’t see how they go away.

What should Mr. Newman do now? How can he deal with that mistrust?

Mr. Fladung: He needs to communicate with his faculty. You have to be upfront and open to try to rebuild some of those relationships. You have to painstakingly address each stakeholder group to explain the action and why you did it. What you can’t do is try to bunker down and try to ride it out.

Mr. Grabowski: He has pretty much set his course. He doesn’t have many options at this point. If I was advising him, it’s not too late to put out olive branches and try to cultivate alliances or at least make sure his intentions are fully understood. Best case for him right now, over the next year, is that he has a difficult time leading and managing the institution. It’s going to be a very difficult time for himself. The worst case is that faculty, students, board, and a significant number of donors and alumni start to move for his ousting.

Ms. Hennessy: The president and board need to step back and have some in-depth conversations about what is in the best interest of the institution at this point. What is the plan, either to regain trust in current leadership or to make a decision if that can’t be done about what is the next step? Communications professionals say all the time, “I can’t communicate you out of this.” We can’t fix this just with interviews, statements, and talking points. It needs to be a leadership commitment to moving the institution forward and closing this chapter.

A version of this article appeared in the February 26, 2016, issue.
Read other items in Uproar at Mount St. Mary's.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Leadership & Governance
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Black and white photo of the Morrill Hall building on the University of Minnesota campus with red covering one side.
Finance & operations
U. of Minnesota Tries to Soften the Blow of Tuition Hikes, Budget Cuts With Faculty Benefits
Photo illustration showing a figurine of a football player with a large price tag on it.
Athletics
Loans, Fees, and TV Money: Where Colleges Are Finding the Funds to Pay Athletes
Photo illustration of a donation jar turned on it's side, with coins spilling out.
Access & Affordability
Congressional Republicans Want to End Grad PLUS Loans. How Might It Affect Your Campus?
Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. delivers remarks during the State Board of Education meeting at Winter Park High School, Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
Executive Privilege
In Florida, University Presidents’ Pay Goes Up. Is Politics to Blame?

From The Review

Photo-based illustration of a tentacle holding a microscope
The Review | Essay
In Defense of ‘Silly’ Science
By Carly Anne York
Illustration showing a graduate's hand holding a college diploma and another hand but a vote into a ballot box
The Review | Essay
Civics Education Is Back. It Shouldn’t Belong to Conservatives.
By Timothy Messer-Kruse
Photo-based illustration of a hedges shaped like dollar signs in various degrees of having been over-trimmed by a shadowed Donald Trump figure carrying hedge trimmers.
The Review | Essay
What Will Be Left of Higher Ed in Four Years?
By Brendan Cantwell

Upcoming Events

Plain_Acuity_DurableSkills_VF.png
Why Employers Value ‘Durable’ Skills
Warwick_Leadership_Javi.png
University Transformation: A Global Leadership Perspective
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin