ABSTRACT
This chapter purposes to examine Mizzou's institutional response through the lens of Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). It addresses the concerns of organizational reputation, university identity, and stakeholder needs that are specific to colleges and universities. While each organization and crisis has unique considerations, SCCT presents an empirically tested set of strategies for organizations facing reputational threats. Initial crisis responsibility assessment is driven by attribution theory, which states that perceived causality affects the emotions of those affected by a situation. Crisis history of the organization and relationship history with the stakeholders are intensifiers to reputational threat, and in combination may lead directly to even greater damage to reputation than attribution. While image and identity are similar constructs, they have different roles that are especially apparent in controlling reputation for universities. Collegiate athletics occupy a unique position in the study of organizational identity and reputation and thus to crisis reputation management.
