Deans Counsel

Deans Counsel


66: Gerry Sanders (UNLV) on Crisis Communications in an Active Shooter Situation

July 11, 2025

On this episode of Deans Counsel, Jim Ellis and Ken Kring speak with Gerry Sanders, Dean of UNLV's Lee Business School. In perhaps our most riveting discussion to date, Gerry walks us through his experience during an active shooter incident targeting Lee, and the confusing aftermath.


In addition to feeling firsthand the myriad emotions that arise during and in the wake of this all-too-common, uniquely American occurrence, Gerry received a crash course in university-level crisis communications -- a complicated experience full of hard-earned lessons to say the least.


You'll come away from this episode with some fascinating and instructive insights, including:


•some basic protocols to have in place in the event that the unthinkable comes to your campus

•addressing the need (and prioritizing the response) for information coming from multiple sources (campus, media, personal)

•the cultural shifts that take place following a traumatic event

•managing the communication conflicts between campus and the public


Learn more about Gerry Sanders


Comments/criticism/suggestions/feedback? We'd love to hear it. Drop us a note at feedback@deanscounsel.com


Thanks for listening.


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Produced by Joel Davis at Analog Digital Arts


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DEANS COUNSEL: A podcast for deans and academic leadership.


James Ellis | Moderator | Dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2007-2019)


David Ikenberry | Moderator | Dean of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder (2011-2016)


Ken Kring | Moderator | Co-Managing Director, Global Education Practice and Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry


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