Higher education 

Communications Counsel regularly provides crucial guidance for colleges and universities. Mr. Weaver has been a student or adjunct professor at higher learning institutions for more than four decades. He holds a Master’s degree, a Juris Doctorate and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Law, University of Akron's graduate program, and he is currently an adjunct professor at the School of Government at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Mr. Weaver regularly speaks to higher ed audiences including the annual College and University Public Relations and Associated Personnel (CUPRAP) conference and has also served as a keynote presenter (covering crisis communications). He has also been a keynote speaker for the Public Relations Society of America Counselors to Higher Education (PRSA CHE).

Mr. Weaver’s work as an attorney representing colleges and universities informs all he does, which is particularly helpful during high-profile litigation that threatens the institution’s reputation.

Communications Counsel's higher education work includes:

1. Executive speech coaching. We work with high-ranking officials — often university presidents — on how to be more effective public speakers. We also prepare campus leaders to handle high-stakes news media interviews. Our work in this area is informed by our experience doing this type of counseling for CEOs, governors, U.S. Senators, members of Congress, and former President Ronald Reagan.

2. Crisis communications consulting. We help public sector and private sector colleges and universities respond and communicate during times of crisis. This includes drafting messages and preparing spokespeople as they brief and update internal and external stakeholders and the news media. Our approach is strategic and is done in careful coordination with attorneys who are already advising the client. We're attuned to understanding the difference between a loud but tiny faction of stakeholders from a giant but mostly silent cohort.

3. Media training. We present workshops (ranging from half day to two days) where we help campus leaders learn the best practices of interacting with the news media. The advice ranges from how to earn positive news coverage to how to respond effectively and quickly in a crisis setting. We use true-to-life higher education scenarios and we maintain a lively mix of lecture, video examples, and hands-on practice. We cover advanced topics of message discipline, bridging, and working with primacy bias in a way that participants will be able to utilize these effective skills right away.

In all we do, we're careful and intentional about reminding participants that we are simply the outside resource experts and that we work hand in hand with the internal communications experts, who are the go-to people on a day to day basis. We also confer with internal staff ahead of the sessions, so local issues and particular areas of concern can be addressed.

Colleges & Universities
we have advised