Scheming

Resources, meet reality. It’s true of higher ed as well as journalism and probably a host of other professions. There are a million things we want to do but time and money aren’t on our side.

I find myself, all too often, getting an idea and then quickly dismissing it because of that time-finances conundrum. Instead of doing that, maybe it will be better to document the ideas for potential execution in the future. And if nothing else, maybe my little sparks will become someone else’s action. If one person benefits, that’s better than the idea dying with me!

The university I work for has overnight campus visits a couple of times per year, in addition to planned visit weekends and the regular campus tours, etc. The marketing department is involved in promoting these events but not in executing them. (Obviously, a matter of resources and expertise). However, I saw an article about Kmart providing a concierge service during fashion week and thought: why can’t we do something similar?

We could have an account that prospective students (or their parents) could tweet or text if they, say, forgot a toothbrush or couldn’t find the closest restroom. Students could answer them through the same medium or give a call. It could get unwieldy very quickly, but I think we have a small enough campus, with a tight community, that this kind of service would really be a testament to our brand and create an experience that would stick with students and parents.

Is anyone in higher ed doing something like this? I’d love to see what it looks like.