Asiyat K. Dorgushayova

The digital transformation of higher education has given rise to a new landscape of reputational threats. Traditional classifications, rooted in the pre-digital paradigm, are insufficient for its analysis. This study aims to bridge this methodological gap by developing a novel analytical model for reputational risks, specifically tailored to the multi-layered digital ecosystem of the modern university. The research employs an integrated theoretical and methodological framework, synthesizing management-communication, economic-financial, and socio-cultural approaches to reputational risk. Methods of systems analysis, conceptual modeling, comparative and factor analysis were applied. The empirical base comprises scholarly publications, data on real-world university reputational crises, and an analysis of their digital footprints.

A two-tiered model for classifying reputational risks is proposed. The first level identifies three segments of the university's media environment, each with a distinct threat potential: the institutional-formal environment (catastrophic potential); the social-network discourse environment (critical potential); and the private-hybrid ecosystem environment (strategically high potential). For each segment, typical risk vectors are detailed, and at the second level, key determining factors (technological, communicational, cultural-behavioral) are specified. The research demonstrates that reputational risk in the digital environment is not merely a consequence of an external event, but rather the result of a synergy between a university's internal vulnerabilities. The private-hybrid environment is identified as posing the greatest strategic danger, serving as a primary source of destructive narratives.

The practical significance of this work lies in providing universities with a concrete toolkit for proactive vulnerability auditing and risk management, shifting the focus from crisis response to strengthening digital infrastructure and organizational culture.