Evaluating the Impact of LAU's Crisis Communication Strategy on the Trust of its Students

Abstract

The Lebanese economic crisis, which has been ongoing since 2020, has taken its toll on all Lebanese, including students of Lebanese American University (LAU). With an average tuition fee of 9,319 USD per semester, an increase of 5833.33% from tuition pre-crisis, it has been impossible for many students to keep up. Nevertheless, LAU has invested a lot of effort into crafting a communications campaign to show how “LAU is Here for You.” However, with the recent decreases in financial aid, many students have gone to question the genuineness of these campaigns. This paper discussed the following research questions: RQ1: How have LAU’s communication efforts during the Lebanese financial crisis impacted students’ trust in the institution? RQ2: Given the financial crisis in Lebanon continues, and learning from the past, what modifications to LAU’s communication strategies can be suggested to benefit trust in organizational communication strategies? The above questions were investigated through content analysis of LAU’s emails and focus groups with LAU students and recent graduates that were analyzed using organizational and crisis communication theories. Based on the results of this research, the effect of LAU’s communication strategy on students’ trust was evaluated and relevant modifications to communication strategies were proposed to LAU’s management and administration.