Poole College’s Advisors Turn to Facebook, Twitter to Reach Students

Email:  It seems there’s always a list of these messages waiting to be read – from friends, parents, merchants. For college students, the list of senders also includes professors, academic advisers and other university offices providing information that needs attention.

The steady stream of messages in your inbox can get about as overwhelming as the traffic at a busy intersection. While most of us do pay attention to the street traffic, it’s a little easier to lose track of some of those email messages. When that happens, important information – like registration or add/drop deadlines, or graduation requirements – may be missed.

The professional advising staff in NC State’s Poole College of Management understand inbox overload and sought a way to help clear the email clutter for their students. Their solution: posting advising messages to Poole College’s new advising office presence on Facebook and Twitter.

They brought on board Dillon Kuhn, an NC State graduate student in higher education administration who understands social media. In March, the new Poole College advising information pages went live. 

Kuhn is now helping to integrate communications via Facebook and Twitter with the advising office’s flow of communications.

“The advisors decided to enter the social media world to give Poole students greater and more efficient access to important information,” Dillon said.  “As a team, we want to spread the message in whatever ways students want to receive information,” he added. 

Poole College’s undergraduate students are encouraged to log into the two sites to receive regular updates about registration and other advising news and to share academic success stories. 

“It is a way for students to come together and to get the word out to the Poole College network,” he said, “

Highlighting time sensitive and other important information on these social sites should cut down on the students’ email traffic.  Students can register for either social site, or both, Dillon said.

“The sites are information tools that students are already visiting throughout the day,” he said. Through the new college accounts, he said, “we hope to meet students where they are, providing timely, concise information, so that no student is left in the dark about the advising process.”

Students are encouraged to join Poole College’s advising sites at:

http://www.facebook.com/advisingpoole

http://www.twitter.com/advisingpoole

Students who use these online tools will see reminders and details regarding registration and advising opportunities. 

“We know students' inboxes can often be overrun with messages from across the university,” Dillon said. “We want to ensure that they are given every opportunity to receive the tips, tools and details they need to be successful.”