All in the name of work...well sort of.

A little over a year ago, I took a new job at Elon University in the Graduate Admissions Office. In addition to recruiting and marketing for all of the graduate programs, I had a specific task of filling the new Master of Art's in Interactive Media that would be launched this fall (2009). Now I have been in Higher Education Admissions for over 8 years...and I literally did not know where to begin. I for one did not know what this program was and I had no idea how I was going to sell it. The first thing I did was immerse myself in research. I reviewed other schools who had similar programs (we were the only in the south) and what people did with the degree when they graduated.

After traveling on the road in the fall recruiting students I had a broader base of knowledge of what type of student we were profiling and what I needed to grasp in order "speak the language" of the students. One of the largest components of iMedia is the world of social media. So...I became engaged in Facebook, I learned how to blog, I discovered why people tweet (actually...I still have not figured that out completely), and I buried myself in this new world. Funny thing happened along the way. I began to enjoy my job a lot more.

I soon discovered I not only took to this program......but it took to me. I assumed a great deal of ownership in every aspect of the process for the students (all the way down to orientation and their financial processes). I wanted to "touch" whatever I could to make sure that I understood what they would encounter so I knew how to speak to them. My work allowed me to switch my PC to a Mac. I have the Creative Suite and all the bells and whistles to boot. Everyday I read all the online local papers catching up on the latest happenings.

One of the greatest side effects of this program for me has been the infiltration of new media in our other programs. I have been able to see the use of blogs and social media used to market our MBA, DPT and M.Ed programs....something that would never have been thought of before.

Although we have successfully enrolled a full class for the inaugural year and things look absolutely fabulous for the coming year....I believe we still have great things to come. As for me, I am kind of hooked on the personal blogging. It has become an outlet and a great way to share my thoughts to those dearest to me. So, if you are willing to continue reading....I am willing to continue writing!

Stay tuned!

JAR

Elon Graduate Blog- (By: Jenny Ruggieri)

Elon Graduate Twitter (By: Jenny Ruggieri)

Crazy Pug

Last night Josh and I decided to play with Winston after our long day. It was a simple task. One flash light and lots of giggles. Take a look! Ahh poo!




JAR