The Crisis Communications Award goes to the communicator who has played a leadership role in responding to crisis situations. A key to managing communications in a crisis is being prepared and understanding when it really begins. Like when they grow out of the most unlikely events like a $100 million partnership to build one of the fastest supercomputers in the world.
Last January, Bill Bell, director of public affairs for NCSA, saw that things with the Blue Waters project might get…rocky. He and his colleagues began working with the campus, the state and the federal government to lay out a strategy for communication that would avoid panic, satisfy lawyers and help us answer the inevitable question, “What does this mean the University of Illinois?”
Unfortunately, this summer, with IBM’s decision to withdraw from the project, Blue Waters and the U of I did, indeed, become an international news story. But, thanks to Bill’s tireless efforts and to the early groundwork he established, everyone was ready.
The result was a set of cohesive, consistent messages from faculty and administrators that made it clear this project is still on course to put one of the most powerful research tools in the world in the hands of our students and faculty researchers - just as planned. IBM wasn’t able to hold up their end of the deal. But, no one has any doubts about why the University of Illinois remains synonymous with supercomputing.Crises happen. And when they do, you want people like Bill Bell on your side.
