Experts say NIU's image easily repaired

The reputation of Virginia Tech University might always be linked to the shooting rampage that killed 33 people there.

In contrast, Northern Illinois University likely will avoid being branded as "the school where the horrific massacre happened," marketing experts and school guidance counselors say.

"I bet you three to six months from now, if you asked 20 people on the street if they remember where in the U.S. that campus shooting was, two-thirds will not be able to name the university," said Jonathan Bernstein, an expert in crisis management public relations.

NIU has several public relations advantages, Bernstein said.

First, the name of the university isn't particularly unique, and most people will struggle to recall where in Illinois the shooting occurred, Bernstein said.

Second, Thursday's shooting, which left five dead and 16 injured, wasn't the first, or the biggest, of its kind.

"It makes a difference if you're the first," Bernstein said. "Virginia Tech will always be remembered for that."

Perhaps most importantly, Bernstein and other experts agree, NIU did a stellar job managing both the operations and communications aspects of crisis management.

Indeed, NIU faculty and staff have confirmed the emergency notification system, which sent messages to the voice mail and e-mail of students and staff, worked well.

Additionally, officials frequently updated the university Web site to keep the community appraised of events. The shooting occurred shortly after 3 p.m. By 3:20, the university Web site warned all students to get to a safe location and avoid the area around the lecture hall where the shooting occurred.

The university's response in the hours and days after the shooting were on the mark as well, experts said.

Dennis Culloton, executive vice president at public affairs consulting company Res Publica Group, noted the university "is doing a lot of the things they need to do.

"I think they've shown a lot of compassion and grace," he added.

Culloton said he would advise university officials to be as transparent as possible in the coming days.

"The best thing I advise is try to be as open as possible, to welcome the questions and see them as opportunities … to make this campus and every campus in Illinois safer," he said.

With high school seniors on the cusp of deciding where to attend college next year, NIU will have immediate feedback, in the form of matriculation numbers, on how the university is perceived in the wake of the tragedy.

Palatine High School guidance counselor Barb Compobasso predicted Thursday's tragedy won't sour her students on "our backyard school."

"This wasn't about Northern," Compobasso said. "It was about a terrible tragedy that happened at Northern."

Palatine High School sends between 25 and 35 students to NIU every year, Compobasso said.

If anything, Compobasso said, this tragedy has shed light on the many good things about the school.

"I think they've been very thoughtful and professional about the processes," Compobasso said. "And there are great kids who go there. There's been story after story about how caring those kids were."