Abstract
How colleges and universities communicate during times of crisis has come into sharp focus in recent years, with crisis events dominating headlines with what seems like increasing frequency and greater consequence. Concerns about communication methods are being examined to determine which has most widespread impact. Most higher education officials feel that a school’s emergency communication plan must be robust and reliable while simultaneously addressing the capacity and redundancy issues of effective mass notification. In addition, the added expectations of parents and misunderstandings of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) have more campus leaders concerned about preparing for unknown threats and determining how to best inform their campuses. This study will examine the approaches for emergency communication colleges and universities are using today and explore the proactive approaches and emerging technologies they are using going forward.