USU PUBLIC RELATIONS – The Directorate of Public Relations, Promotion, and Protocol of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) organized a Technical Training on Crisis Communication Management in Higher Education, featuring Asmono Wikan, S.Sos., M.I.Kom., Founder and CEO of PR INDONESIA Group, as the keynote speaker. The event was held at the Academic Senate Meeting Room, 3rd Floor, on Thursday (August 6, 2026).

In today's digital era, information spreads within seconds, public opinion is formed rapidly, and social media can amplify an issue before complete facts are available. Therefore, implementing a structured communication management system is essential to ensure that emerging negative issues can be addressed appropriately and effectively.

In his opening remarks, USU Secretary Ir. Ikhsan Siregar, S.T., M.Eng., Ph.D., emphasized that the growing communication challenges faced by institutions make technical training such as this increasingly important for improving the management and mitigation of communication crises in the workplace.

"The topic that our speaker will present today is highly interesting, because crisis management and crisis communication are issues that we have frequently encountered," said the USU Secretary.

Higher education institutions face greater reputational risks than corporations because of their role as guardians of moral values and academic integrity.

During his presentation, Asmono stressed that universities must transform their approach to crisis communication in the digital era. According to him, legalistic and defensive communication strategies are no longer effective in addressing reputational crises.

"In the era of digital transparency, the question is no longer whether a crisis will occur, but when it will occur. Universities that will thrive are those that are responsive, empathetic, transparent, and willing to undertake systemic reforms," he said.

Asmono further explained that poor communication management can severely damage an institution's reputation within a matter of hours. He highlighted a crisis communication protocol that requires the activation of a crisis management team within the first six hours and the issuance of an official holding statement within a maximum of 24 hours.

"To respond effectively to a crisis, universities should adopt the 5R framework—Recognize, Respond with Empathy, Review Independently, Reform Systemically, and Rebuild Narrative—while taking decisive action during the Golden 24 Hours," he explained.

The establishment of an active Crisis Command Center, the strengthening of real-time media monitoring systems, and the regular implementation of crisis response simulations were identified as key measures to safeguard the integrity and public trust of Universitas Sumatera Utara as one of Indonesia's leading higher education institutions.