The problem of practice this research sought to study and offer solutions for was centered around social media communications from a housing and dining department at a major university in a large United States city during times of crisis and emergencies. The purpose of this Action Research study was to examine and make recommendations to improve the social media response strategy during times of crisis and emergencies. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 consisted of first establishing a fieldwork site for this research, which was a housing and dining department of a large public university in a major United States city. The researcher interviewed two staff members who are heavily involved in the crisis and emergency communications process, reviewed department protocols, processes and procedures, conducted a staff focus group, implemented a survey to all on-campus residents, and administered a focus group of residential students. Using In Vivo and Process Coding, the researcher then established themes. The four themes that emerged from the data were: variable factors, hierarchical structures, channels, and established procedures. Action step activities included creating a cross-functional workgroup of staff who created a set of guidelines for a future social media listening tool that were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to determine how the housing and dining department could use a social media listening tool to assist and support audiences in response to a crisis or emergency. During this phase, the researcher sought to understand how a social media marketing expert can assist in creating guidelines for a future social listening tool at the university. The research showed that organizing an effective cohort, facilitating guideline creation, embracing the uncomfortable, sharing innovative ideas, and nurturing shared expertise were effective tactics for facilitating guideline creation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]