Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Special Annual Awards
2008 Campus Technology Innovators: Social Networking for Admissions
8/1/2008
Results have been overwhelmingly positive. Only 24 hours after ClubRed's launch this past January, 350 students had already logged in and created profiles. As of May 15, the network boasted more than 1,400 users who had logged in an average of 18.4 times over the past two months. In most cases, incoming freshmen have interacted and formed connections with their peers-- all before the first day of school. Stahr says that prospective students are now recruiting one another, simply by talking about ClubRed and raising awareness of the university's commitment to superior technology.
Staff members seem to be embracing ClubRed as well. Stahr notes that in the first two weeks, many staff members actually found it difficult to log off, even outside of office hours. Additional benefits are even more significant: Already, 75 percent of ClubRed users have submitted an enrollment deposit-- signaling that the technology is building loyalty among its users almost instantaneously. According to Stahr, ClubRed gives the University of Nebraska-Lincoln an immediate competitive edge over institutions that have not yet developed a private social network or have not yet explored the integration of a campus CRM system with an existing social network. University officials expect that, over time, ClubRed will have a positive impact not only on admitted student yield rates, but also on freshman-to-sophomore-year retention rates.
Currently, only high school seniors have been given access to ClubRed. Stahr explains that the next step is to allow admitted transfer and international students to access the network so that they might be able to connect with their future classmates. In addition, the school recently embarked on an effort to improve and expand upon ClubRed's current capabilities and attract students who have yet to log in.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- Emerging Tech Challenges
- Interesting Developments
New projector technologies and features offer improved picture quality, reductions in operation and installation costs, and challenge our ideas about where and how projectors can be used.
- 'N' is for Now!
With final approval of the emerging 802.11n standard tantalizingly close, forward-looking colleges and universities are deploying wireless "n" networks. Here's what you'll need to know for your own "n" initiative.
- Put It Online
- The Argument for Open
Is open source business intelligence software ready for prime time? Our feature contributor offers BI watchers the open source ammunition they've been waiting for.
- CT Briefs
