Best of CASE District III Award
 

Institution: University of North Carolina Asheville

Title of entry: Hurricane Helene: A Crisis Communications Response

About this entry: On September 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and the loss of power, internet, and potable water on UNC Asheville’s campus. With students displaced and instruction moved online until Spring 2025, the University faced an urgent challenge to communicate clearly and consistently, maintain trust, and preserve institutional reputation amid crisis.

The Communication & Marketing team had to rapidly pivot from traditional messaging to a full-scale crisis response, delivering strategic communication to all stakeholders—students and families, faculty and staff, alumni, prospective students, and the broader Asheville community. The team navigated the complexity of a region in distress, responding with sensitivity to catastrophic damage and a surge of questions and concerns. Consistent, transparent messaging not only kept stakeholders informed but also helped create a sense of connection and camaraderie during an unprecedented time.

Key assets developed included Bulldog Alert messaging, Chancellor’s Updates, a “Helene Heroes” storytelling campaign, and dedicated Helene webpages. The comprehensive Helene webpages featured FAQs, a crisis hotline, Chancellor's Updates, relief resources, and a link to donate to a dedicated UNC Asheville Disaster Relief Fund. As recovery progressed, the page also included information about the Helene Recovery Hardship Grant, made possible by hundreds of donor contributions. A final section highlighted media coverage of the university’s resilience, reinforcing UNC Asheville’s national reputation.

The C&M team efforts had a strong impact: Facebook engagement rose by 205%, Instagram engagement by 462%, and first-time student retention rate for Spring 2025 reached 92.8%—the highest since 2015.