Show Up, Don’t Just Check In: A Comparative Study of Institutional Statements Released in “Unprecedented Times”

Abstract

University leaders frequently release statements following social, racial, and/or political events that affect the university population. Using Critical Discourse Analysis and Intersectional Analysis, this study offers a comparative exploration of institutional responses to two central and conflicting events that took place in the final year of the Trump administration: the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 and the insurrection at the Capitol in January 2021. In comparing how institutions addressed both events, we found that the statements issued in 2020 were what we defined as “transformational” while the 2021 statements engaged less with systemic injustice. This analysis provides a useful guideline for future studies to address the responses of administrators to national events that have had polarizing or psychological impacts on the higher education community and offers support for institutional leaders who wish to put their holistic selves in their writing to serve the institution’s more progressive diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

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