Award: Bronze

Institution: University of North Texas

Title of Entry: UNT Communication Response to COVID-19

About this Entry: When COVID-19 hit, the University of North Texas issued a state of emergency and activated its Emergency Operations Center on a Thursday, March 12. The university community was alerted to the COVID impact on UNT in an email from the president on a Thursday. By Saturday, UNT’s Division of University Brand Strategy and Communications (UBSC) had launched a full website, planned for a daily communication enewsletter that launched the following Monday, revamped its plans for social media posts and other regular communication channels — all while moving its staff to full-time telecommuting and keeping up with and transitioning other important campaigns such as registration for summer and fall.
In coordination with other university divisions and leadership, UBSC developed an integrated communication campaign to keep the campus community as informed as possible about how campus was operating in regard to COVID and how students could continue to access the services and other resources many of them rely on to not only fulfill their educational dreams but to live such as the Student Health and Wellness Center, counseling, etc. The overall goal was to be as transparent as possible and to keep the community as informed as possible to help keep them safe.