Communications Philosophy & Guidelines

Updated: August 19, 2024

Purpose

Wake Forest University strives to communicate institutional values, priorities, news and activities to empower stakeholders to make informed decisions. Effective communication practices strengthen the University’s sense of community and its ability to connect constituents with the University’s academic mission and Pro Humanitate ethos.

We seek to engage faculty, staff, students, parents and families, alumni and supporters in ways relevant to their interests and in a manner that supports teaching and learning. This document explains when and how University administrators communicate with various audiences.

Audiences receiving University communications embody many dimensions of diversity: race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, age and disability. Individuals may have different perceptions and expectations when receiving information. Wake Forest does its best to consider these differences when delivering information, and the University welcomes feedback that would improve its approaches. Feedback may be directed to the Office of University Marketing and Communications at umc@wfu.edu.

Supporting Resources

• How We Communicate with parents and families
• Wake Alert has emergency communication resources
• From Wente’s Desk (October 13, 2023) includes the president’s reflections on priorities that guide the University’s response to crises.
• From Wente’s Desk (August 20, 2024) shares thoughts from the president on how, when and why we communicate.

Communication Principles

Wake Forest has long adhered to the following practices and hereby seeks to codify them as communication principles:

• Wake Forest holds University communications to a high standard for accuracy, credibility, timeliness, clarity, relevance and consistency.
• Wake Forest aims to be on the side of over-communicating through multiple channels to deliver information.
• Wake Forest prioritizes the needs of individuals and groups most affected by a given issue. Therefore, communication starts from a place of empathy for those most impacted by a situation.
  • We refer to this as “communicating from the inside out.” For example, an issue impacting residents of a particular residence hall may be communicated first to the Community Director, Graduate Hall Director and Resident Advisor; then to the students who live in that residence hall (and to their parents and families, if applicable); then to all faculty, staff and students; then to all parents and families, if applicable.
• Wake Forest strives to be responsive to inquiries and ideas from the University community.
  • Wake Forest attempts to respond to inquiries sent through official, direct sources of information and support (email, phone, forms on University websites). The individual or office receiving the inquiry is likely to coordinate a response from the individual or office best equipped to address the issue in question. 
  • When the volume of inquiries makes it challenging to provide individual responses, the University may publicly post and promote answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) and/or set up a temporary call center to field questions in real time.
  • Examples of inquiries that will not elicit a formal response from the University include:
    • Tagging University-run social media accounts
    • Sending direct messages through social media platforms
    • Anonymous messages or messages without clearly identifying the individual(s) to whom a formal response should be directed
    • Online petitions and open letters not directly sent to an individual in the administration via email or hard copy
    • Communications that are abusive, threatening or disrespectful toward the recipients
• The University respects student and employee privacy for several reasons: to meet legal obligations, particularly around educational, health and employment information; to meet our ethical or safety standards; and as a foundational tenet in being a supportive and inclusive community.
  • Students will be afforded the privacy granted to them under FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and applicable laws regarding health information. In accordance with these laws, University employees are generally not permitted to share information about a student’s academic performance, conduct matters, health treatments or other information regarding the student without the student’s permission.
  • Wake Forest does not publicly share information related to employees beyond dates of employment.
• In its communication, Wake Forest prioritizes freedom of expression and academic freedom while recognizing that teaching, learning, research and service happen most effectively in as safe an environment as possible. We ask community members to take seriously the responsibility of exercising the right to free expression in our academic community.

University Messages

In an age of global connection and instant information, universities are often called upon to acknowledge a natural or man-made disaster, offensive or inhumane behavior, a heroic endeavor, or a new way to support a worthy cause. The University seeks to reserve institutional position statements for issues or events directly connected to Wake Forest’s core function and mission. The free exchange of ideas and perspectives requires space for divergent points of view and opportunities to educate, debate processes and make sense of current events. 

Institutional messages are conveyed by, or on behalf of, leaders with administrative authority¹ and thus are often interpreted as representing a position, pattern of belief or expectations of the behavior of the University.

The Board of Trustees authorizes the president of Wake Forest University to communicate official university positions and/or approve communications representing an official university position. The Board of Trustees authorizes the president to delegate authority and responsibilities for communicating as necessary for the effective management of University business.

Individuals, administrative offices and academic departments and programs do not have the authority to make statements on behalf of the University; they do, however, have the responsibility to communicate with targeted constituencies to effectively execute functions aligned with the University’s mission. The Office of University Marketing and Communications can help navigate the need to:

• Confirm the accuracy of the information
• Coordinate with other individuals, offices, programs and departments likely to communicate with overlapping groups
• Keep communication specific to areas within the responsibility or expertise of the sender

Institutional messages are intentionally distributed to the entire University (faculty, staff, students) and may be intentionally or unintentionally distributed to other stakeholders (alumni, parents/families) and external constituencies (news media). Institutional messages will most often be distributed via email since it remains the most reliable medium for quick and complete distribution. Institutional messages could also be distributed through various methods accessible to the entire institution and the general public (e.g., a press release, blog post, social media post, newsletter, etc.)

Institutional messages may communicate awareness, support, gratitude and/or action after an incident or event affecting people (positively or negatively) associated with the University. They may also affirm values or communicate a change in University policy or established practice. Any statements issued by the University will be in compliance with the University Policy on Campaign and Political Activity.

Institutional Messages Committee

The Institutional Messages Committee (IMC) is charged with considering and recommending communications in anticipation of or in response to events or activities impacting the Wake Forest community. The IMC collects information and recommends to the President the potential distribution of a public statement and the key messages to be conveyed.

Any IMC member may convene the Committee. The IMC consists of:

• Vice President of Communications and Chief Communications Officer (chair) 
• Provost 
• President’s Chief of Staff
• Vice President, Campus Life
• Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion
• Senior Vice President, University Advancement
• Speechwriter, Executive Communications
• Associate Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs
• Additional content experts added ex officio as required by the issue or topic 

Process for University Messages

When convened, the IMC will seek to quickly align on what is known. Guiding questions include:

• What has happened and what context is needed to understand the potential impact?
• What do people associated with Wake Forest expect the University to do about what has happened?
• What could happen next that might also impact people associated with Wake Forest?
• Would the IMC benefit from additional information, time or perspective?

The following rubric will help the IMC make consistent recommendations to the president:

The following questions will help the IMC prepare an institutional message for the president’s consideration.

• What should our different audiences know after reading or hearing this message?
• What are the critical value statements to convey?
• How will we articulate why the institution has chosen to communicate about this topic?
• Who should be included in the review process?

In addition to, or instead of, a University statement, faculty, staff and administrators may coordinate or support opportunities for reflection, conversation or action. The following are examples of such:

• Produce holding statements and talking points to help leaders respond quickly to inquiries from news media and constituents.
• Consider how official University social media accounts may be used to distribute messages or amplify the messages of others and decide how the University will respond to inquiries or comments received through social media.
• Leverage University blogs and newsletters: those typically scheduled and one-time special issues or published off-schedule.
• Submit op-eds and guest articles.
• Sign a letter or article drafted by a third-party organization (e.g. NCICU, ACE, ACC, NACU, etc.).
• Convene forums, panel discussions, teach-ins, etc.
• Host moderated dialogues, Call to Conversation, etc.
• Create time and space for reflection, prayer, solidarity, etc.

IMC completes its work with a proposed statement and recommended plan of action for decision by the president.

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1. This definition is not intended to capture faculty writing or speaking on issues related to their academic expertise.
2. Wake Forest leaders seek to preserve and support the University’s educational mission, which requires space to explore multiple perspectives. 

Emergency Communication

Emergency alerts notify stakeholders of a possible threat to safety or health and provide instructions for immediate action to avoid or mitigate harm. In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the “Clery Act”), Wake Forest strives to find the proper balance of timeliness, clarity and credibility in emergency notifications and timely warnings, working to inform its community quickly while ensuring that details are clear and accurate.

Emergency notifications are initiated as part of the Wake Alert system. They may include, but are not limited to: text messages; outdoor and indoor audio alerts; automated phone messages; notifications on University websites and computer monitors; emails; news media channels; mobile phone apps; and social media posts. Examples of situations that may prompt an emergency notification include an active shooter, a dangerous criminal suspect believed to be on or near campus, an outbreak of an infectious disease, or severe weather. These methods are designed to both offer the campus community multiple methods of warning and also provide other important audiences with ways to stay informed.

Consistent with the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System used by Wake Forest University Police and other first responders, the designated incident commander has approval over emergency messages throughout the emergency. The nature of the incident determines incident command, which may transition between police, fire, emergency management, and health officials as the incident evolves.

Wake Forest issues timely warning notices (identified as “Community Safety Advisories”) to alert the campus community of Clery Act crimes that pose a continuing threat. Continuing threats require students and employees of the University to maintain awareness of a crime or other threat to safety and health that may be ongoing or repeated. Examples could include a robbery or sexual assault. Community Safety Advisories may be repeated through various methods but typically are communicated to students, faculty, and staff by email; parents and families can receive campus safety alerts via the WakeSafe app. Consistent with the Clery Act, these timely warnings will be issued “as soon as pertinent information is available” that suggests a continuing threat to the health and safety of those on campus. University Police has the authority to determine the existence of a “continuing threat.”

Frequent Sources of Communication

Several websites, social media accounts and apps are tailored to the needs and interests of different stakeholder groups. The following outlets frequently communicate information relevant to the entire University community.

• Presidential communications: https://president.wfu.edu/communications
• WFU News: https://news.wfu.edu
• Social Media: https://umc.wfu.edu/teams/stratcomm/social/ and the social media accounts represented there
• Inside WFU: https//inside.wfu.edu
• Weekly newsletters: Inside Wake Forest (faculty & staff) and WFU Should Know (students)
• Parents & Families: https://parents.wfu.edu/daily-deac/
• WFU Events: https://events.wfu.edu
• Wake Alert: http://wakealert.wfu.edu
• Wake Safe app: https://police.wfu.edu/safety/wake-safe-app/