Any college that wants to court millennials can always jazz up its Web site with virtual tours or student blogs. But if an institution really wants to reach out to prospective students—and keep in touch with alumni—it ought to consider moving into MySpace, says Mike Richwalsky, manager of Web services at Allegheny College.
In an interview with Dan Karleen of Syndication for Higher Ed, Mr. Richwalsky describes Allegheny’s unusally detailed MySpace profile, which includes a calendar of campus events, frequently updated blog posts, and links to 770 students and alumni who have designated themselves as "friends" of the college.
The site was created "out of necessity," Mr. Richwalksy says: Campus officials worried that if they didn’t lock up the "alleghenycollege" login name, someone else would create an unofficial (and less flattering) profile for the college. —Brock Read
