Terrance Smith has become a recognized face at Syracuse University. And it started with a school-sponsored blog.

‘In the past, applicants have come up to me and said, ‘Oh my God, You are Simply Terrance from the blog!’ and I am always so flattered by this,’ Smith said. ‘It is truly rewarding to know that my work and dedication is not going unnoticed.’

Smith is part of an initiative taken by the joint efforts of the College of Visual and Performing Arts and SU’s Office of Recruitment and Admissions. The two groups started posting blogs from members of the VPA community on the school’s homepage this semester.

The homepage displays the words ‘VPA is…’ followed by various headings, in either blue or orange text, that complete that phrase. The blue text links to current events and information of interest VPA posts on its website, as most SU websites do. But the orange text links viewers to personal blogs, directly run by VPA students and faculty members.

Once at the blog page, the contributor’s headshots are collaged on the screen, enticing readers to further explore.

Maureen Carroll, a recruitment field representative in VPA’s Office of Recruitment and Admissions, came up with the idea to create a VPA blog. In February 2008, the blog was initially launched on blogger.com, and posts were written by a small group of undergraduates. The posts were linked to the VPA Facebook page, Carroll said in an e-mail interview.

The transition from blogger.com to the redesigned site started during spring 2010, said Erica Blust, VPA’s director of communications. It was expanded to include graduate students and faculty members as bloggers, she said.

‘Our current group of 34 bloggers spans nearly all of the academic disciplines in VPA,’ Blust said.

The Office of Recruitment and Admissions hoped to raise its social media presence and gain visibility, Carroll said.

With social media on the rise, VPA has made a successful move by integrating blogging into its website and is taking advantage of the new social media trend, Blust said. The VPA blog offers students a way to engage prospective students, current professors and peers in their endeavors.

The reality is college students seek out information through the Internet, Blust said. Blogs can appeal to current students but more importantly to prospective students who are researching potential schools, she said. College officials hope to not only inform students but also feature blogs that bring the VPA experience to life, Blust said.

‘We also wanted the new site to embrace the technologies prospective students use to communicate online,’ Blust said. ‘The blogs are a key part of both of these goals.’

Any current student or faculty member in VPA may blog for the website. The bloggers are usually recommended by faculty members or recruited through the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. They volunteer their time to write regularly about their classes, extracurricular activities and experiences in VPA and at SU.

Many student writers find it to be a rewarding experience and a great outlet, said Smith, a senior communication and rhetorical studies major.

Another blogger, Bree Donnelly, values the authenticity of the blog.

‘I think it is just a great outlet to see the real side of student life and not from some general brochure or tour,’ said Donnelly, a junior interior design major.

Some students said other colleges at SU should look into integrating blogging into their websites as a way to reach out to applicants and provide an interactive way for students to stay involved with their home colleges, said Leeanna Cota, a senior interior design major.

‘I would definitely recommend that other colleges adopt VPA’s blogging idea,’ Cota said. ‘I think it makes the students who represent the school seem accessible and personable.’

vripacs@syr.edu

Published on February 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm