Create a Centralized Communication Hub for Your Campus with a Mobile App

From admissions to commencement, there’s much to communicate to prospective and current students throughout the year. “Email is dead” to many and print is being phased out as schools prioritize sustainability initiatives. Furthermore, studies show that the mobile-born generation prefers to communicate via mobile apps. In this presentation, you’ll learn how Dominican University transformed its current communication plan and created a centralized communication hub with a mobile app.

Transcript

1. Reimagining Campus Communications Create a Centralized Communication Hub for Your Campus with a Mobile App Tuesday – November 15 | 2:30 – 2:50 pm | Seminar EW2 Adam Smeets Director, University Systems and Academic Services Dominican University
2. Reimagining Campus Communications Goals and Objectives § Sustainability & Communication: Overhaul! § Relevancy & Personalization: Segmentation, Beacons, and More § Dynamic Content and the “Go-To” Resource § Mobile Messaging and Outreach
3. Reimagining Campus Communications Apple App Store Google Play
4. Reimagining Campus Communications About Dominican University § 3,522 students (70% full-time, 30% part-time) § 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio § 438 faculty members and 7 librarians § 50+ undergraduate academic programs § 939,000 square feet of buildings § 10 miles to downtown Chicago § 100% of freshmen receive a form of financial aid
5. Reimagining Campus Communications Sustainability and Communication • Communication channels evolve quicker than the adoption rate
6. Reimagining Campus Communications Sustainability and Communication Students are not reading email communication blasts (Bowling Green, 2016) • 72% student organization emails as spam • 54% don't read emails from the university or academic departments • 39% said they don’t always open academic advisors' emails. https://www.eab.com/daily-briefing/2016/03/07/which-emails-students-read-and-which-ones-they-ignore
7. Reimagining Campus Communications Sustainability and Communication • Dominican expanded communication beyond traditional “interactions” • Utilization of mobile app alerts, banners and group messaging • Content, issue and audience first, not email first!
8. Reimagining Campus Communications Relevancy and Personalization § Segmentation to unique audiences § Wayfinding and Promotion… Beacons! § QR Codes… More than a gimmick § Personalization… Distinctly Dominican. § Promotion… Promotion… Promotion.
9. Reimagining Campus Communications Shuttle Tracker • Student, faculty and staff voices and needs “drove” the effort - Modo Labs and Double Map ensured our successful delivery! Dynamic Content and the New “Go To”
10. Reimagining Campus Communications Faculty & Staff Directory • Flip the IT narrative… mobile first, system second. • Major technology win… Cautious buy-in. • 15% of use Dynamic Content and the New “Go To”
11. Reimagining Campus Communications Dynamic Content and the New “Go To” Handbooks • Move from paper… Move to Publisher • Push Notifications • Text Notifications • Immediate Updates… Immediate Win
12. Reimagining Campus Communications Mobile Messaging and Outreach Audience/Persona: Alumni • News, athletic and social media channels • Newsletters, event invitations and magazines in digital form. • Notifications and updates to stay connected to campus life.
13. Reimagining Campus Communications Mobile Messaging and Outreach Audience/Persona: Alumni • Reunions/important meet-up events. • Mobile alumni directory. • Donate and contribute to campaigns.
14. Reimagining Campus Communications Adam Smeets asmeets@dom.edu Director, University Systems and Academic Services Dominican University