Higher Ed Social

This week we talk to Jason Boucher, the manager of social media at University of New Hampshire. To start the show, we then talk about how Jason got into social media through his local Social Media Club. Jackie and Jason were track chairs at the EDUweb Conference a few weeks, so we talk about their experience at the conference and their times in Boston. We also discuss our social media plans for move-in week and Lougan's plans for the solar eclipse.

Links to cool stuff

* Jason on Twitter

* EDUWeb Conference

* Move In Day Time Lapse

* Ben's Move-In Day Recap Video

(including two of Lougan's epic backwards runs)

* Lougan's Eclipse Time Lapse

* Belmont's Eclipse Glasses

Photo: Belmont Photographer

This week we talk to Hope Cooper Buckner, the assistant director of communications at Belmont University.  Aside from dealing with Lougan on a regular basis, Hope is an integral part of Belmont’s Office of Communications that produces content and works with internal and external stakeholders to help manage the institutional brand. In May, Hope graduated with an M.Ed. in  nonprofit leadership and as her thesis studied the value of collegiate level mentorship experiences for women. That research inspired her to launch a new nonprofit called MentorHER which will provide psychosocial mentoring opportunities for women on college campuses.

Links to cool stuff:

* Hope on Twitter

* Hope's Website

It's been a busy last few weeks for us, namely Lougan and his son Simon had birthdays!  So we're taking this week off and rebroadcasting Episode 56 with Ben Lamb, Assistant Director for Student Organizations and Involvement at Williams College. We quickly discover Ben’s crepe cafe, Oh Crepe! and Jackie’s love for these delicious desserts. While Jackie tries to wiggle her name onto the menu, we take the time to educate Lougan about New England. Ben discloses that there was a time at Williams College when there were simply too many clubs (is that even possible?) and how it was handled, as well as student run businesses that he oversees. We also talk about sports, and learn about Spikeball.

Links to cool stuff:

* Ben Lamb on Twitter

* Spikeball

Grab your passports! For the first time we've chatted with someone outside the United States! We didn't pick somewhere close like Canada, Mexico, or even anywhere in Europe. In episode 89, we talk to Ben Osborne, social media coordinator at the University of Adelaide in Australia. We discover some interesting differences between universities in the United States and Australia, from commencement to residence halls, and even what it means to be a college student.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Ben on Twitter

* Ben's study buddy campaign

In episode 88, we chat with Ben Luttrull, media relations specialist at the University of Southern Indiana. Each of us have a different structure in our Communications and Marketing divisions, which leads us to an interesting discussion about division of responsibilities. We also talk about using LinkedIn to connect with audiences, as well as how we rely on student workers to help us get work done...and remind us about what's cool and what's not.

Links to cool stuff: 

* Ben on Twitter

* Animated GIFs of the Stanley Cup (One, Two, Three)

* Skidmoji, the ultimate Jackie idea bomb

It's new student orientation season, so we're taking a break and rebroadcasting Episode 27 with Tom DiRoma. Back in 2015, Tom had just begun his new job as Assistant Director of Student Involvement at Lynchburg College. Tom attended SUNY Oswego during his undergraduate years, which naturally inspires a conversation about snow, cold, and even science, as Jackie continues to brave harsh winters while Tom and Lougan have other weather patterns to endure. Tom explains how exactly he landed at Lynchburg College by loosening his search requirements. We talk about orientation and Lynchburg’s unique “Hornet Days,” introducing new students to campus. We also talk about time management, something that is important not only for our students.

Links to Cool Stuff: 

* Lynchburg's Hornet Days

* What is Radiative Cooling?

* The "lake effect" on Great Lakes weather

We kick off episode 87 by chatting boy bands with Larry Falck, coordinator of digital media at Francis Marion University. Larry's big summer project is switching the FMU website to a new CMS (content management system), which is no small task. Aside from web-talk, we discuss the recent commencement ceremonies, and how each of them are covered on social media and live streaming.

Links to cool stuff

* Larry of Twitter

* Oprah at Skidmore

* That job opening Lougan mentioned

If you've listened to Episode 1 of Higher Ed Social, you may know Ryan Morejon. Why? He was hired as social media specialist soon after the position was discussed on that episode. He has been at the University of Florida for two years, and we chat about his position and how he got there. We also talk about managing students, fostering creativity, and of course, commencement.

Links to cool stuff

* Ryan on Twitter

* Episode 1 with Todd Sanders

* Episode 8 with Matt Herzberger

* Belmont Grass (Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring, and REALLY up close)

* Bike Racks

Episode 85 welcomes Kara Sassone, web producer and social media specialist at the Northeastern University College of Science. Kara tells us about how she got into higher ed, and how she landed in Boston. We chat about Boston things like baked beans, the Freedom Trail, and public transport. Kara and her team will be working on a website redesign this summer, and Lougan shares some words of wisdom from his experience.

Links to cool stuff

* Kara on Twitter

* Karaoke Plane Buffalo 2013 (photo by Magen Tracy)

* Karaoke Plane Portland 2014 (photo by Nikki Kauffman)

* Karaoke Plane Milwaukee 2015 (photo by Donna Talarico)

* Karaoke Plane Memphis 2016 (video by Brenden Sparks)

Jackie and Corey Patterson, director of graduate operations at Abliene Christian University, spend most of episode 84 spoiling episodes of Survivor. They discuss the current season and who they see going all the way to the end. Corey spent some time working in Nashville before settling at ACU, and he and Lougan share memories of their old stomping grounds.

Links to cool stuff:

* Corey on Twitter

* Jackie as a mascot on Skidmore's 404 Page

* Lougan's old MacBook on Belmont's 404 Page