Social Media and Universities: How new technologies are used in academia
SARASOTA, FL (June 19,
2009) – Thousands of people have likely seen the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s new website
design, but many are likely not aware of the “other side” of marketing a University via the World Wide Web—a
new-age technology term called “Social Media.”
Social Media has been around for years, since Classmates.com came on the scene in the 1990’s, but has really
taken off in the past few years with the development of networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn,
and Twitter. Over 85% of college students have a Facebook page, and universities have begun to capitalize on
the attentive audience of not only students, but donors, alumni, community leaders, and university supporters.
The local institution has created a Facebook site for recruiting and marketing purposes, an MBA Blog (which
stands for Web-log) with information and updates about the MBA program, a Twitter page where members can
follow along with events and up-to-the-minute updates, and has a Social Media expert on staff who speaks with
groups around the country on the benefits of social media networking.
“It all started with a management topic about how to use social media as a business tool—to recruit employees,
gather customer comments and complaints, and connect with potential supporters,” said Dr. Delaney Kirk,
professor of Management at USF Sarasota-Manatee and an expert on social media. “I became fascinated with the
subject and had to learn more.”
Dr. Kirk terms the phenomenon “educational technology” and has used blogs with her students for years. Her
undergraduate classes get an instructional blog, to which Dr. Kirk posts the class agenda, exams, notes, and
schedules. Her MBA graduate students get an interactive blog, where she encourages critical thinking and
responses to her posts.
Dr. Kirk wants to eradicate the misperception that social networking is just for teenage girls. Recently she
spoke with the Venice Area Young Professionals Group (VAYP) about social media etiquette and the benefits of
networking on the internet, and she will speak again at a lecture at USF Sarasota-Manatee in October.
“The presentation was done so well that an hour wasn’t enough for our members, the audience was captivated by
Dr. Kirk,” said Michelle Ryan, director of Community and Member Relations for the VAYP. “Our VAYP members
learned numerous tips on how to use the different and various social networking and media sites.”
Kirk hopes that even more social media can be utilized by the university, and eventually would like to include
electives in the curriculum for social media.
“The power of the internet is enormous, and should be taught at the MBA level,” she said. “It gives an edge to
our students to have these skills when they go out into the real world. We need to see more social networking
in business fields, not just public relations and marketing.”
Besides the benefits of social media networking, Dr. Kirk also believes that most people are not aware of the
harmful information that can be distributed via the Web, and instructs her classes to do a Google search of
their own names to see what information is out there.
“In today’s times, one of the first things an employer will do when they see your resume is Google your name
to see what pops up,” she said. “Applicants may lie on their resumes about their experience, degrees, past
titles, and a multitude of other things, and nowadays employers can know the truth within seconds. It’s
important to know what is being said about you on the World Wide Web.”
Changing the game: Students take advantage of social media networking on campus
USF Sarasota-Manatee has used other popular forms of social media as well. Information Session chats are held
bi-weekly online, in which students can ask advisors questions about degree programs, financial aid,
admissions, or other topics of interest. Recently, a “Virtual Career Fair” was held on campus, which allowed
students to connect with potential employers on the internet rather than showing up on campus to interview
face to face. This benefit appeals to non-traditional students who may be at work or have family
responsibilities that prevent them from attending the event on campus.
“Our students appreciate the flexibility of the online career fair,” said Toni Ripo, Career Services
Coordinator. “Sometimes students can’t make it at the time we have the event, and this gives them a resource
to apply for a job.”
Students also appreciated a recent Online Orientation held by the department of Student Services. The online
orientation was offered to newly admitted students for the Summer 2009 semester as an option to complete the
mandatory orientation. Three live student orientations were also held on campus.
The experiment was highly successful. Nearly two-thirds of the newly admitted student population chose to
complete their orientation with the Online Orientation option. The Online Orientation enabled students to
access the information at a time that was convenient for them, as well as provided the ability to return to
the information later as a resource. The feedback was positive; one student noted, “Online Orientation is a
great, time-saving, and a fantastic idea for students with busy schedules that can’t make it to attend an
orientation on campus.”
“It’s a new world, and businesses and universities have to keep up with new technology to stay on top of the
game,” said Kirk. “Students, alumni, staff, faculty, donors, community members…all use and benefit from
networking through social media.”
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More information:
USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Facebook pages—USF Sarasota-Manatee, USF Sarasota-Manatee Alumni Chapter, and Circle K
International USF Sarasota-Manatee, USF Girls STEM Summit, USF Sarasota-Manatee Accounting Society, Sigma Tau
Delta USF Sarasota-Manatee
Twitter—http://twitter.com/USFSM
MBA Blog— http://usf-sarasota-manatee-mba-program.blogspot.com/
Dr. Delaney Kirk’s Blog— http://www.delaneykirk.com/
