The language of university communications during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 raised concern for those spending time in college classrooms and dormitories. Students faced sudden changes to their lives and relied upon written messages for directives. This study investigated the language of university-based communications, based on models of crisis communication and epidemic management.

Methods

The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count was used to investigate the language in the most salient written messages from universities to students regarding the migration to online classes.

Results

As predicted, certain word types were used more frequently than others. The larger the student body, the more frequently universities used positive emotion/resilience and power/organizational words. and the more likely a COVID update would be posted on the homepage within three months’ time.

Conclusion

Messages should be guided by models of crisis management and carefully crafted, given the role of universities in managing large numbers of students during ongoing pandemic illness.

Keywords:

• Coronavirus
• COVID-19
• crisis communication
• pandemic
• university communication

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of USA and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of William Paterson University.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.