Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 2025
Public relations professionals in higher education face a myriad of challenges, including managin... more Public relations professionals in higher education face a myriad of challenges, including managing crises that range from tragic losses to reputational threats. Despite the critical role these professionals play, little attention has been given to their experiences within this sector. This qualitative study examines how public relations professionals in higher education experience resilience sensemaking following a crisis. Using a critical event narrative inquiry approach, focusing on resilience and participants' retrospective narratives of crisis experiences, this study reveals the complexity of working in higher education, characterized by a profound dedication to institutional mission amid demanding crisis scenarios. Professionals demonstrate a dichotomous resilience, balancing institutional recovery efforts with personal well-being considerations. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of fostering a culture of resilience anchored in the ethics of care framework, which prioritizes relationships, open communication, and mutual support. Practical implications include the integration of empathetic understanding and ongoing dialog into organizational culture to enhance resilience.
In the digital age, public relations professionals play a vital
role in managing information, par... more In the digital age, public relations professionals play a vital role in managing information, particularly (mis/dis)information. Understanding the ethical implications and resources needed to navigate (mis/dis)information is crucial. This study explores PR professionals’ perceptions of ethical education and the skills and resources required to address (mis/dis)information. In-depth interviews with professionals reveal insights for better preparing the next generation of PR professionals to navigate the posttruth era effectively. These findings shed light on the multifaceted skill set needed by PR professionals and the essential role of both informal and formal resources in preparing them to navigate (mis/dis)information effectively. Recommendations for education emphasize experiential learning, ethics-focused content, and readily available online resources.
Universities face unique challenges when publicly (a)mending their complex histories, particularl... more Universities face unique challenges when publicly (a)mending their complex histories, particularly around histories of racial exclusion and violence. We suggest that higher education institutions may use polyvocal expressions of public memory that blur epideictic and apologetic rhetorics, yet retain boundaries that serve institutional interests. We assess the case study of the memorial service for Dr. AutherineLucy Foster at The University of Alabama in March 2022 through the lens of Corporate Responsibility to Race (CRR), drawing four implications that generate insights into the ways complex institutional voice balances risk. We seek to demonstrate how a critical public relations framework, infused with critical rhetorical approaches to public memory, holds value for a productive examination of attempts to amend hurtful pasts.
This is the second part of a two-part forum called Interventions in Public Memory: Interrogating ... more This is the second part of a two-part forum called Interventions in Public Memory: Interrogating the Critical/Cultural Landscape of Higher Education, edited by Meredith M. Bagley. In this introduction, I explore the ways public memory scholars and higher education public relations professionals can collaborate to enhance critical/cultural approaches to institutional public memory on campuses. As we face this important moment for public memory on US campuses, common concerns for politics, place, dialectic tension, and repair that animate both public memory and public relations call for collaboration between these groups.
This research responds to calls to support diversity and inclusion within the academic discipline... more This research responds to calls to support diversity and inclusion within the academic discipline of public relations specifically and in the communication discipline generally by engaging juniors and seniors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The authors conducted focus group interviews with students (n=22) at five HBCUs. This study addresses the extent HBCU students are aware of or are interested in pursuing graduate studies in the discipline, the barriers to application or entrance into public relations and communication graduate programs for Black students majoring in a communication discipline at HBCUs, and the strategies, tactics, programs, or initiatives that are useful for the successful placement of Black undergraduates into graduate public relations and communication-related programs
Uploads
Papers by LaTonya Taylor
role in managing information, particularly (mis/dis)information.
Understanding the ethical implications and resources needed
to navigate (mis/dis)information is crucial. This study explores
PR professionals’ perceptions of ethical education and the skills
and resources required to address (mis/dis)information. In-depth
interviews with professionals reveal insights for better preparing
the next generation of PR professionals to navigate the posttruth
era effectively. These findings shed light on the multifaceted
skill set needed by PR professionals and the essential role of
both informal and formal resources in preparing them to navigate
(mis/dis)information effectively. Recommendations for education
emphasize experiential learning, ethics-focused content, and
readily available online resources.