Colleges are always looking for new ways to reach out to prospective students. One way Transylvania wants to connect with them is by using technology to welcome them virtually.
The university’s communications and admissions offices have partnered with StudentBridge to create a “virtual campus experience” website to reach out to students who have yet to visit campus. It’s a visual way to share Transy’s unique voice and story.
“We know that when students visit our campus, they’re more likely to apply and more likely to end up choosing to come to Transylvania,” said Megan Moloney, vice president for marketing and communications. “This virtual campus experience will help us connect with prospective students online, with the goal of getting them to Lexington to visit in person.”
During the first full week of classes, communications staff and StudentBridge could be seen filming all around campus, interviewing students, faculty and staff on their Transy story.
In some of the interviews I sat in on, current students were asked how they would describe Transy in one word. Some of the responses? “Growth” and “life-changing.” Sharing students’ answers to such questions is just one of the ways the new video “viewbook” will highlight what prospective students can learn about Transy.
The university’s virtual experience will include an interactive campus map with photos, as well as more than a dozen videos using interviews with students, faculty and staff. It will also include videos produced by Transy that feature campus events and traditions.
The new website is expected to be online by early 2020.
Annebelle Klein is a senior at Transylvania, majoring in writing, rhetoric, and communication. She is a Work-Study student in the Office of Marketing and Communications.