Education Roundtable: Strategies for Responding to Polarizing Issues (Speakers, Protests, Policy Debates)

In this month’s Education Roundtable, we’re taking on one of our most highly requested discussion topics: navigating polarizing issues in an era of heightened public scrutiny.

Whether it’s a controversial campus speaker, a student protest, or a rapidly evolving policy debate, institutions are expected to respond quickly, clearly, and with sensitivity. These moments require balancing transparency with nuance, coordinating across multiple departments, and communicating in ways that protect both community trust and institutional reputation.

This session is not a webinar. It’s an open, peer-led conversation created for education communications, PR, marketing, and public affairs professionals who want a space to openly discuss strategies, learn from peers, and share what’s working on their campuses.

What We’ll Discuss

• How do you prepare for and respond to speaker-related controversy on campus?

• What approaches help you communicate effectively during student protests or demonstrations?

• How do you align leadership, legal, student affairs, and communications teams when issues escalate quickly?

• What frameworks or playbooks help you navigate fast-moving policy debates and community reactions?

• How do you monitor sentiment, on campus and online, and decide when and how to respond?

This roundtable is part of Meltwater’s Industry Circles program—client-only spaces inside mCommunity where professionals in similar sectors connect, collaborate, and learn how others are using Meltwater to solve real-world challenges in their day-to-day roles.

This session has limited availability, and registration will close once all 35 seats have been filled.
 

Reserve your spot today!