Lessons From Harvard’s Campus Unrest, Plagiarism Crisis
By Michelle M. Johnson, APR
May 2024
Former Harvard University President Claudine Gay stepped down from her historic post amid accusations of plagiarism and perceptions that her response to antisemitic incidents on campus, following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, was inadequate.
This case study examines Harvard’s communication challenges to highlight four early actions executive communications teams can take in crises of similar magnitude.
Members-Only Content
This article is exclusive to PRSA members. Please sign in to continue reading.
Not a member?
Join PRSA to read more articles like this and to advance your communications career.
Print subscriptions to Strategies & Tactics are available for nonmembers.
Michelle M. Johnson, APR
Michelle M. Johnson, APR, is a doctoral candidate studying crisis communication at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication. She is a U.S. Army veteran with more than 20 years of active-duty military service in the public affairs career field. Johnson is an Operation Iraqi Freedom II veteran.
