Best College and University Websites - Agnes Scott College

Link of the Week... June 20, Centre College

78 Best Practice College and University Website Features

Most weeks on Friday I add a new link to a college or university website that is superior to what else is available in student recruitment, alumni relations, fundraising or other areas that I visit in preparing presentations and competitive web reviews for my clients.

Increase the marketing impact of your website. Schedule on on-campus "best practices" web review or "Writing Right for the Web" workshop for September or October. Contact me at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com or call me at 248.766.6425.

Centre College: President Energizes the Annual Fund on YouTube

What do you do when the success of a challenge grant for $610,000 might depend on increasing the participation rate of alumni who graduated in the last 10 years? And you only have a few weeks to do that by June 30?

You might try another direct mail appeal. You might contact everyone you have in your email file. You might call them on the phone.

And you might try for fast word-of-mouth impact by getting a new 3 minute video from the college president up on YouTube. In about one week of air time, more than 1,100 people have watched President John A. Roush in what one recent alumnus called a "comic turn seeded via grassroots methods" to recent Centre graduates.

Watch President Roush perform in "The 61% Challenge" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Ns-S-yoKI

Recommend a Best College Website page for Link of the Week. Contact me at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com

Best College & University Website Archives

13 June 2008 — Agnes Scott College
More than 15 student videos give new life to the online campus tour experience at a Webby Awards site honored for "Rich Media Advertising."
http://www.realviewtv.com/online/agnesscott/index.html

6 June 2008 — Bluffton University
Students tell video stories about Service, Discover, Community, and Respect values that distinguish a Bluffon education.
http://www.bluffton.edu/about/distinction/respect/

30 May 2008 — Ohio State University
Connect direct to 5 social networking sites from a dedicated page on your "official" website, including Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia.
http://www.osu.edu/features/2008/socialmedia/?feature=socialmedia&yr=2008

16 May 2008 — Dominican University
Answer 2 questions about your academic record and receive a quick estimate of the merit scholarship you might receive as a new freshmen or transfer student.
http://www.ican.dom.edu/ScholarshipCalculator/ScholarshipCalculator.aspx

9 May 2008 — Penn State University Online MBA
The perfect academic program page? Just about. Great use of keywords, easy-to-scan and read text, clear links, smart video content, and more. See it all at
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/iMBA.shtml

2 May 2008 — Roanoke College
Recommend a mascot contest generates stories about why Roanoke is a "Classic College" in a unique online effort to build the brand and have fun doing it.
http://www.classiccollege.com/

18 April 2008 — Northwestern University School of Law
Online, interactive viewbook starts with student and facuty videos telling the law school story. Links let you move easily from the viewbook to the main website.
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/viewbook/

11 April 2008 — University of Richmond
An online "Undergraduate Catalog" makes it easy for future students to find the majors and courses that inteest them. A special feature makes it easy to send suggestions about how to make the catalog work even better than it does now.
http://undergraduatecatalog.richmond.edu/

4 April 2008 — University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
A keyword search feature lets visitors quickly find out if a major is offered here, complete with links to information about it. Try the "Major Finder" at http://admissions.uwosh.edu/major

21 March 2008 — University of St. Thomas
A "web encoure" for an online magazine creates higher impact with extra audio and video features for the Web 2.0 environment.
http://www.stthomas.edu/magazine/2008/Winter/Broszko.html

7 March 2008 — The University of Southern Mississippi
Student videos on TV and the Web integrate brand building and increase enrollment applications.
http://www.usm.edu/spv/

29 February 2008 — Mount Holyoke College
Innovative use of the blog format brings an alumnae magazine to life on the web.
http://www.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/blogs/blog/mount-holyoke-alumnae-quarterly

15 February 2008 — University of Missouri
Video animates a print story about Missouri's poet laureate as Walter Bargen reads the poetry someone else is writing about and Web 2.0 shows real value.
http://mizzouwire.missouri.edu/stories/2008/poetry-wings/

8 February 2008 — Washington State University
Engage high school students early with an "Imagine Tomorrow" contest and clearly present the participation and prize details in text and video.
http://www.imagine.wsu.edu/about.aspx

1 February 2008 — Hobart and William Smith Colleges
"Experience Maps" for students and faculty start at the front page and let visitors scan and select from 12 experiences to learn more about what interests them.
http://www.hws.edu/

18 January 2008 — Sacred Heart University
Student story telling done really well in 8 "Learning 24/7" videos that tell tales of life on capmpus, from academics to athletics to just plain fun. Watch them at http://www.sacredheart.edu/pages/20701_learning_24_7.cfm

11 January 2008 — Colby College
Student-generated content in personal stories, video, blogs, photos, podcasts and an online magazine in a leading application of Web 2.0 for student recruitment.
http://www.insidecolby.com/

4 January 2008 — UCLA
Best-in-class web friendly presentation of capital campaign results, with links to 9 primary beneficiaries of campaign dollars at
http://www.giveto.ucla.edu/campaignnews.html

7 December 2007 — St. Edward's University
Future students and their parents will learn about possible merit scholarships in about 15 seconds when they answer 5 questions at this easy-to-use estimator.
http://www.gotostedwards.com/calculator/

30 November 2007 — University of Nebraska
The College of Engineering takes student and faculty video stories to YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEoGawLjnts&feature=related

16 November 2007 — University of Manitoba
17 student and alumni blogs support a multi-media "Its My Future" branding campaign with stories of their personal successes at http://www.itsmyfuture.ca/

9 November 2007 — Slippery Rock University
Make "accountability" information about first-year retention, student engagement on campus, and much more highly visible from the front page of your website.
http://www.sru.edu/

2 November 2007 — DeVry University
Take advantage of the popularity of online degree programs with a comprehensive demonstration of how things work at your university.
http://www.devry.edu/images/keller-demo.html

19 October 2007 — Bradley University
Financial aid estimator breaks the sticker price barrier to deliver net cost information for freshman and estimates of net costs for the next three years.
https://admissions.bradley.edu/ssl/estimator/?status=viewtab1

12 October 2007 — Clark University
Faculty connect with potential students in visual podcast stories "Their Other Life" outside the classroom. Hear the 6 stories at
http://www.clarku.edu/clarkvoices/

5 October 2007 — Nebraska Wesleyan University
Faculty blogs as part of the student recruitment communication mix at
http://admissions.nebrwesleyan.edu/academics/professor-blogs.php

21 September 2007 — Stony Brook University
Virtual admission advisors that give accurate answers to question are rare. For an example that shows attention to keywords and content, ask a question at
http://sunysb.askadmissions.net/sunysb/aeresults.aspx

14 September 2007 — Pitzer College
A video press release replaces the traditional, hard-to-scan print version.
http://www.pitzer.edu/multimedia/mediapraxisme.html

7 September 2007 — Dickinson College
From an easy to scan list of academic programs, visitors create a "Custom Academic Viewbook" with info about each program listed on a single web page.
http://www.dickinson.edu/academics/pgmvb.html

17 August 2007 — George Mason University
Gunston, the university mascot, introduced humorous videos with the serious intent of generating online inquiries for the admissions office.
http://www.masonmetro.com/gunstonfiles.cfm

20 July 2007 — Northeastern University
A "Parents Corner" message board engages parents on campus safety, finanacial aid and more at http://messageboard.chatuniversity.com/neuparent/

13 July 2007 — Smith College
Easy to scan key branding statement tells admissions visitors "How Smith Feels" to differentiate the college in just a few seconds.
http://www.smith.edu/about_howsmithfeels.php

6 July 2007 — Regis University Online MBA
See an entry page optimized for search engine marketing, from the essential page title tag through the headings and primary content when you visit
http://www.mbaregis.com/

15 June 2007 — Gustavus Adolphus College
Instant Messaging as part of the admissions communication mix is presented with an easy-to-scan clarity that's missing from most other IM efforts.
http://admission.gustavus.edu/admissions/connect/im.asp

1 June 2007 — University of Toronto Rotman School of Management
Watch an engaging YouTube promotional video featuring studens, alumni, and faculty at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSdtyaDW1W0&mode=related&search=

18 May 2007 — Case Western Reserve University
Second Life joints the online student recruitment communications mix at http://admission.case.edu/secondlife.asp

11 May 2007 — The University Western Ontario
106 faculty, student, staff, and alumni blogs presented on a single high impact page at http://communications.uwo.ca/weblogs/directory.htm#alumni

4 May 2007 — University of Chicago
Putting an alumni magazine online so that people will read it can't be done in PDF format. For a best practice example of how to create online content, visit http://magazine.uchicago.edu/

20 April 2007 — UC Berkeley
Integrate your official admissions website with YouTube after you see how Berkeley uses 20 "CalTube" videos to show the benefits of its academic programs and San Francisco environment. Make the connection at http://students.berkeley.edu/myberkeley/showcaltube.asp?autoplay=life

13 April 2007 — Connecticut College
13 faculty and student stories prominently displayed throughout the website create high marketing impact for text-only content. Read the stories at http://www.conncoll.edu/

6 April 2007 — University of Richmond
Innovative use of student videos to answer "Frequently Asked Questions" is just one feature of an "Experience Richmond" collection of Web 2.0 elements.
See the collection at http://www.richmond.edu/prospective/faq/

30 March 2007 — MIT
Blogs from students and staff dominate the first admissions page as Web 2.0 continues to change the future face of college and university websites.
http://www.mitadmissions.org/

16 March 2007 — Muhlenberg College
Visit one of the few, maybe the only, college website that speaks the truth about "preferential" financial aid packaging. This top content is at http://www.muhlenberg.edu/admissions/aid.html

9 March 2007 — Virginia Tech University
A YouTube contest to create VTU stories and spread "Invent the Future" brand identity. See this new twist on shaping user-generated content at http://www.vt.edu/contests/youtube

2 March 2007 - Calvin College
Web 2.0 increases the impact of press releases with links to Facebook, Digg, and Del.ocio.us and more.
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2006-07/sushi-theatre.htm

16 February 2007 - Longwood University
Blogs, videos, podcasts and more student created features combine for high impact reality marketing at "Longwood Live."
http://www.whylongwood.com/longwoodlive/

9 February 2007 — The College of New Jersey
Try an online tuition cost estimate, the website feature that's second in demand by college bound high school students. (For the most in demand, see the 11 August entry for the financial aid estimator at University of Toledo.)
http://www.tcnj.edu/~admiss/costs.html

2 February 2007 — UNC Kenan-Flager Business School
Easy to scan content, a video testimonial, and a strong page title tag make this stand out for unusually high engagement potential. See the results at
http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/Programs/execMBA/weekend/index.cfm

19 January 2007 — Santa Clara University School of Law
15 blog topics keep everyone up to date, from future and current students to faculty, staff, and media. Blog's aren't just for personal stories any more.
http://www.scu.edu/law/blog/index.html

12 January 2007 — Ohio University
Continuing education gets a "Second Life" in 3-D in a new venture at
http://www.blog4learning.com/2007/01/ohio_university_without_bounda_1.html

5 January 2007 — Fordham University
12 easy to scan video topics help build the Fordham brand identity.
http://www.fordham.edu/Media/discover/Meet.shtml

8 December 2006 — Ball State University
Student videos introduce the key academic learning feature that helps shape the Ball State brand of "Education Redefined" for future students and their parents.
http://www.bsu.edu/portfolio/0612/

1 December 2006 — Butler University
Student vodcasts focus on the first semester in the College of Business Administration... and are posted on YouTube for extra impact.
Visit http://www.butler.edu/vodcast

17 November 2006 — University of Manitoba
MySpace adapted for a university website mixes talk of romance, biology, study skills, baking a pie and more at the Virtual Learning Commons.
Web 2.0 goes to college at https://www.umanitoba.ca/virtuallearningcommons/

3 November 2006 — Emerson College
A "can't miss" display of academic programs at the admissions page.
See the graduate programs at http://admission.emerson.edu/graduate/

20 October 2006 — Boston University
Student and faculty story telling videos, right from the front page.
See the videos at http://www.bu.edu/

13 October 2006 — University of Minnesota
Integrated ad campaign... TV, print, radio, online, campus sidewalks. Read the rationale and see and listen to the ads for the Driven to Discover campaign at http://www.brand.umn.edu/discover/howItUnfolds/index.php

6 October 2006 — Carnegie Mellon University
Videos, blog, and podcasts help convert web visitors inspired by a traditional ad camaign for the Tepper School's MBA program at http://www.mbarealitycheck.com/default.aspx?id=144000

15 September 2006 — University of Connecticut
A powerful "can't miss" branding statement on the front page of the website is repeated and reinforced at the first admission page at http://www.uconn.edu/

8 September 2006 — Pepperdine University
A rare annual report designed for the Web, not a PDF copy from print.
http://www.pepperdine.edu/annualreports/2005/

18 August 2006 — Carnegie Mellon University
Abby and Jenny, admissions robots, answer your questions when they can and ask you to call admissions when they can't. See the "Synthetic Interviewers" in action at http://my.cmu.edu/site/admission/menuitem.e5fc30afd07833c019300710d4a02008/

11 August 2006 — University of Toledo
Very fast online financial aid estimator and ROI for a UT education.
Estimate what you'll pay at UT at http://www.financialaid.utoledo.edu/estimator/

4 August 2006 — Texas A&M University System
Press releases in blog format highlights new news and easy archive searches.
Visit http://sago-news.tamu.edu/releases/

28 July 2006 — University of Baltimore
Follow Natalie through 8 30-second videos on life as a UB student as part of an innovative branding campaign integrating TV, web, billboards and more.
See how well it works at http://www.knowledgethatworksub.com/

14 July 2006 — Hendrix College
Audio and print stories highlight alumni outcomes right from the admissions page.
http://www.hendrix.edu/admission/admission.aspx?id=91

7 July 2006 — MIT
Visit ZigZag, a video magazine that takes online publications a step ahead of most.
http://web.mit.edu/zigzag

23 June 2006 — Walden University
Student videos are used to verify the brand identity claimed on the front page.
http://realpeople.waldenu.edu/

16 June 2006 — Colgate University
Video success stories from 9 Class of 2006 alumni for potential new students.
www.colgate.edu/DesktopDefault1.aspx?tabid=2386

9 June 2006 — Capella University
Put 3 great student stories right on the top of your front page... and follow them inside with 13 more.
www.capella.edu

2 June 2006 — Buffalo State College
Get more people to “Interact” at your website. Put podcasts, message board, blogs and more in one convenient location. And label it, “Interact."
www.buffalostate.edu/admissions/interact.xml

19 May 2006 — North Dakota State University
Great example of website interactivity as 30 students say “Ask Me” about NDSU. Pick your favorite by major or home town.
www.ndsu.nodak.edu/askme/

12 May 2006 — Furman University
Furman validates the stories of every student who blogs when it lets Greg tell why he plans to transfer.
www.engagefurman.com/ViewJournal.asp?ID=126&FirstName=Greg

5 May 2006 — Miami University of Ohio
Junior inquiries receive an email link to student videos on life at Miami.
www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/miami/miami.cfm

28 April 2006 — Biola University
“Hugs from Home” from parents creates strong “word of mouth” marketing.
www.biola.edu/parent/products_services/

14 April 2006 — Mount Holyoke College
Visit for a great campus tour experience, using the interactive power of the Internet to put the visitor in charge.
www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/tour/

31 March 2006 — Skidmore College
Use Internet interactivity to engage alumni at your website.
www.skidmore.edu/alumni/sbn/

17 March 2006 — Houghton College
Houghton College integrates blogs, podcasts, and photos — “next generation” blogs.
www.houghton.edu/admission/

10 March 2006 — Cornell University
Cornell University presents 30 creative and entertaining gift giving opportunities.
www.alumni.cornell.edu/creative_ways.htm

3 March 2006 — Boston College
One of the few fundraising pages that shows how a gift benefits individual students.
www.bc.edu/friends/invest/bcfund/