The masters of social media in higher education

Top 100 list reveals innovative ways to communicate with students, parents, and faculty via social sites

By Dennis Carter, Assistant Editor
Read more by Denny Carter

StudentAdvisor evaluated social media initiatives at 6,000 colleges.

From tweeting the day’s dining hall menu to online posts showing where students can find an empty parking spot, campus officials have found inventive ways to use social media for practical purposes.

The 100 best uses of social media in higher education were released this fall by StudentAdvisor.com, a Massachusetts-based website that helps prospective students compare schools.

The annual ranking reads like a laundry list of the most effective ways campus decision makers can draw students with relevant information that can become an everyday part of their Twitter and Facebook feeds.

Johns Hopkins University in Washington, D.C., for the second consecutive year, was ranked No. 1, owing in large part to its HopkinsInteractive site, which has a real-time Twitter feed featuring eight university-related handles, along with a host of academic and guest blogs.

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On one drop-down screen, for example, a student can find the Twitter handles for admissions officers, the Hopkins Insider, and several other Hopkins Twitter feeds.

Harvard University finished second in StudentAdvisor’s social media rankings, and the University of Notre Dame came in third. Ohio State University and Columbia University rounded out the top-five.

Dean Tsouvalas, editor-in-chief of StudentAdvisor, said the innovative ways colleges are using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms prove that campus officials don’t view social sites are frivolous, extracurricular activities.