A Critical Discourse Analysis of Institutional Responses to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

The 2016 U.S. presidential election brought to light longstanding tensions and bigotry across the country that were further exacerbated when Donald Trump won the presidency on November 8th. While college and university leaders have traditionally refrained from commenting on election results, looming concerns of possible campus protests and external pressures sparked institutional responses. This study considers an analysis of these responses including 48 statements from 28 public and private colleges and universities throughout the nation. Using critical discourse analysis, the authors find that despite seemingly inclusive language, most higher education leaders used symbolic discourse that preserved existing power structures rather than employing transformative language that could lead to materialized, actionable support for the students most impacted by divisive campaign rhetoric as well as the laws and policies that have followed. As politically marginalized students are impacted in serious ways by federal and state policies under the current administration, the trend of campus-wide communication from university leaders must refrain from status-quo rhetoric to instead transform institutions of higher education to not only serve, but protect, targeted students.