Higher Education Communication Strategy Under Political Pressure and Crisis Risk

Higher education communication is no longer a marketing function. It is a strategic discipline shaped by political pressure, governance risk, and real-time public scrutiny.

In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with David Maffei, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas at Staffbase, about how university presidents and boards must rethink how communication functions inside their institutions under today's crisis-driven conditions.

Drawing on more than two decades of enterprise and higher education communications leadership, Maffei explains why internal communication now determines external credibility, why preparedness is the defining variable in crisis response, and how fragmented communication structures quietly undermine institutional trust. The discussion also explores how technology and AI amplify leadership discipline rather than replace it, and why presidential communication can no longer be delegated.

This conversation is especially relevant for presidents, boards, and senior leadership teams navigating political pressure, public scrutiny, and rising expectations for transparency, alignment, and trust.

Topics Covered

• Why internal communication now drives external brand credibility
• How crisis preparedness exposes governance strength or weakness
• Why internal notification must come before public announcements
• How political pressure reshapes presidential communication risk
• Why communication is now a core presidential competency
• The role of ego management in institutional leadership
• How siloed communication tools fracture institutional alignment
• Why unified board and presidential signaling protects credibility
• How technology and AI magnify leadership discipline
• Why communication is now embedded inside strategy, not downstream from it

Three Takeaways for Higher Ed Leadership

1. Preparedness determines whether crisis strengthens or destabilizes trust.
2. Internal communication discipline now shapes external credibility in real time.
3. Unified signaling between presidents and boards is no longer optional.

This episode offers practical, governance-level insight into why communication performance is now inseparable from institutional performance — and how higher education leaders can protect credibility under sustained pressure.

Read the transcript or extended show summary:
https://changinghighered.com/higher-education-communication-strategy-crisis/

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