How Universities are Engaging with Students Using PixiWeb
The pandemic has flipped academia on its head, making it more important than ever for colleges and universities to figure out how to stay connected to students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
With restrictions on live events and schools having varying protocols, student life and marketing professionals alike are faced with the tough task of keeping people engaged in a virtual and/or hybrid learning environment.
School spirit is something that lives inside of everyone who has been part of a university community. It’s a feeling that is relied on to keep the school’s brand relevant, growing, and guaranteeing future enrollment.
Now more than ever, the importance of tapping into that school spirit, that sense of pride, that love of being part of something greater, is critical to bridging the gap back to a “new normal” on campus.
We’ve built a product called PixiWeb that is helping schools do just that. Using photographs and university-specific branding, our virtual photo booth has been a hit and is bringing together students from many locations into a fun shared experience.
Several universities around the United States and Canada are creating a virtual photo booth to amplify virtual events and engagement initiatives. Near and far, students and alumni can take and upload photos showing off their school spirit and perusing the real-time photo gallery as others post their selfies and old group shots, too!
Here are some examples of how university professionals are using PixiWeb to keep their campuses connected.
Back to School Photos
A virtual return to campus can be about as mundane as turning on your laptop and logging into class for the first time, but it doesn’t have to be!
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and George Mason University were both quick to hop on the opportunity to use PixiWeb for back-to-school photo initiatives. Students who were “arriving” for their first time or coming back for a new semester were encouraged to post photos to their PixiWeb gallery websites. They also had a photo slideshow that cycled through the photos for the entire school to see.
UMBC’s PixiWeb site, “First Day of School Photos” was a hit as hundreds of students posted pics in their freshest #RetrieverNation gear.
George Mason’s campaign was called “Welcome2Mason” and students felt inspired to show off their Patriot Pride decked out in green and gold.
Holiday Parties for Faculty & Staff
Whether it’s your department, your team, or your entire university, an online photo booth is the perfect way to bring everyone together.
University of Florida College of Pharmacy used PixiWeb for multiple occasions over this past season to make their virtual holiday events “not just another Zoom”.
Director of Event Planning at UF College of Pharmacy, La’Zendra Danforth has been trying to stay creative and continue to make virtual events exciting to keep attendees engaged.
With the success of PixiWeb at their schoolwide 2020 UFCOP Virtual Holiday Party, they decided to use PixiWeb again just a couple of weeks later at the more intimate “Cookies & Cocoa Holiday Party”. Needless to say, the virtual photo booth was a hit!
Alumni Engagement
Even without the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping alumni engaged in your university can be difficult. Oftentimes alumni are spread out across the country or even the globe and simple mailers or email newsletters just aren’t enough to keep people involved.
PixiWeb has the power to reach anyone with a mobile device or laptop and get them interacting right away. It’s simple AND effective!
Alumni can help raise awareness for your school and have a positive impact on public perception. Most of all, alumni are usually your biggest donors! UMBC used PixiWeb for their Giving Day event called “UMBC Black & Gold Rush” as a way to spread the word throughout their community.
At Villanova University School of Business, “keeping the alumni connected to the Nova Community” is one of the main goals of Christine Etheridge, VSB’s Associate Director of Alumni Engagement. To make their community meeting more social and fun, Christine used PixiWeb and added a variety show element to their virtual event.
Commencement
This one is a no brainer! What better way to celebrate your grads than by empowering them to post a photo of themselves on arguably one of the biggest days of their lives.
Commencement ceremonies lead to graduation celebrations that are meant to be shared with fellow students, friends, and loved ones. That “cap & gown moment” can live on forever when captured with PixiWeb to include your university branding and set an example for all future students who are next in line.
PixiWeb works for all types of engagement initiatives
The uses for PixiWeb as a both a fun engagement tool as well as a shared photo gallery that documents everything in one central location are endless. We’re looking forward to upcoming events like:
Family Weekend
Community Engagement
Giving Day
Student Showcases
Art Openings
Science Competitions
Career Fairs
Fundraising Initiatives
Faculty & Staff Engagement
Pep Rallies
And more!
To date, PixiWeb has helped:
California State University Channel Islands (US)
Concordia University (Canada)
George Mason University (US)
Johns Hopkins University (US)
Loyola Marymount University (US)
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) (US)
Morgan State University (US)
Mount Wachusett Community College (US)
Northwestern University (US)
Penn State University (US)
Portland State University (US)
University of Florida (US)
University of Maryland Baltimore County (US)
University of Melbourne (Australia)
University of Windsor (Canada)
Villanova University (US)
Western Washington University (US)
…and many more to come!
