Tales of two organizations: A descriptive analysis of pandemic community leadership narratives during the COVID-19 pandemic

Tyler E. Thorp and Matthew M. Mars

Community Development, 2025, vol. 56, issue 5, 782-801

Abstract: This comparative case study explored the orientation and messaging patterns of the public narratives of and about an urban community college and neighboring research university during the emergence and peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were gathered from two sources: 1) a set of press pieces specific to the pandemic community leadership (PCL) of the community college and research university that were released between March 2020 and April 2022 (N = 257), and 2) semi-structured interviews with a sample of 15 local community stakeholders. Data revealed diametric public narratives with the community college’s being unassuming and community centric and the university’s being assertive and organization centric. Despite maintaining an unassuming PCL narrative, the community college was perceived more favorably by community stakeholders than the university. We consider this outcome in the contexts of prosocial commitments and exploitative strategies (i.e., disaster capitalism). Recommendations for both practice and research are provided to include positioning community developers and scholars in the role of community narrative stewards.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/15575330.2025.2504341

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