Karla Leeper is the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communication and Marketing and Chief of Staff to the Chancellor at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
She has provided communications guidance and other consulting support on college mergers throughout the United States
Here are the questions Karla addressed during the podcast.
- What are the primary drivers or 'tipping points' that lead a college's leadership to seriously consider a merger as a viable option for the future?
- When you help an institution build its "case for a merger," what are the most critical components to include to get key stakeholders, like the board and senior faculty, to buy in from the start?
- The period when a merger is just a 'consideration' is incredibly sensitive. How do you advise leaders to balance the need for confidentiality with the desire for transparency? Could you walk us through a best-practice communication timeline? Who are the very first groups you should talk to, and how does that circle of communication widen over time?
- What is the most common 'crisis point' or communication breakdown you see during a merger announcement, and what steps should leaders take now to prepare for it?
- Faculty, student, or community protests are a real possibility. When internal opposition becomes very public and vocal, what is the first step a communications team should take?
- What is the single biggest mistake an institution can make from a communications standpoint when navigating a merger?
- Looking at the landscape of higher education, do you see mergers becoming more common? What is your single most important piece of advice for a president who is just now starting to think this might be a necessary path?
- What are the top 2-3 concerns you consistently hear from alumni during a merger, and what are the most effective, proactive ways to address them?
- Final wrap: What is the one, top piece of guidance you would give to a college president when considering a merger? BOT chairperson?
