The study examined the practice of crisis communication in Ethiopian public universities particularly at Bahir Dar University and University of Gondar. The study was qualitative case study. Situational crisis communication theory intended that, understanding the situations during crisis communication make effective. Purposive and quota samplings were used as sampling design of the study. Data was collected through interview, focus group discussion and document review. University presidents, vice president, directors and public relations practitioners participated in the research as key respondents, while university staff members and students were participants who involved in FGD. The obtained data was analyzed qualitatively. The finding of this study proved that, universities have not crisis communication guide line, before the crisis occurred both in BDU and UoG the situations which happened around other universities and in the country haven’t been predicted and analyzed. Universities communicated crisis to limit its spread and magnitude. Denying, evasion of responsibility and reducing offensiveness were strategies used to restore universities reputation. Religious clergy, historians, mothers, artists and mainstream media and peace forum, music, theater and drama were strategic crisis communication tool used to recover universities. Absence of professional training regarding crisis communication, absence of professionals who have conceptual skill of crisis communication, influence of organizational structure, employees hardest relation, influence of the external community and ethnicity were factors that affected the practice of crisis communication. Similarly ethnocentric media organizations, ethnic oriented political parties and wrong use of social media were the perceived factors aggravated 2011 EC crisis occurred in the universities. Therefore, universities shall have crisis communication teams ‘and crisis communication policies