When Peta Comes to Campus: a Study of Issues Management at a Land-grant University

Abstract

In today's world, land-grant universities no longer deal solely with those involved in agriculture. They have been charged with providing unbiased information to a population that is growing more and more diverse each day. Due to this, controversial issues that land-grant universities must face are bound to arise. Implementing the practice of issues management can benefit the land-grant university during these times. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of issues management when peta2 brought its Glass Walls Exhibit to the campus of Oklahoma State University. The study poses the research questions that ask what the need for issues management was, what aspects of the event fell in the realm of issues management, and benefits that could be gained from its use. The findings for this study were determined through a qualitative research method that utilized semi-structured interviews. Finally, it was concluded that issues management could have benefitted this particular event and others like it. It is recommended that issues management be implemented into the daily practices of land-grant universities.