Anissa Latif and Evelyn Orellana proudly showcase their newly designed recruitment brochures.
MADDIE ROSADO / THE QUADRANGLE
Maddie Rosado, Staff Writer
Manhattan University’s Office of Admissions recently took a bold step toward reshaping its campus outreach by making a strategic push into social media. With the launch of a new Department of Admissions Events and Communications, staff has been busy developing creative, engaging content aimed at reaching prospective students while also amplifying the voices of those already on campus.
Ben Boivin, director of undergraduate admissions, has recognized this digital shift. With the changing habits of prospective students, especially in a post-COVID scene, Boivin stressed the importance of meeting applicants not only in person, but online. This transition has prompted the admissions team to rethink traditional outreach methods and embrace digital channels as a key way to connect with students.
“More and more students are doing their research for college through TikTok and Instagram,” Boivin said. “So we felt we needed to be a stronger presence.”
Boivin continued to acknowledge that Manhattan University’s new admissions events and communications department is relatively small in comparison to other collegiate competitors. Still, he expressed that numbers aren’t everything when it comes to impact.
“You don’t need to be the biggest to be the best,” Boivin said.
Expanding upon this approach, Anissa Latif, assistant director of communication, events and technology, highlighted the importance of showcasing authentic student experiences through these various social media platforms. Before the department’s launch, the university lacked a consistent visual representation of student life. She explained that prospective students today aren’t just looking for polished marketing but want to see real moments that genuinely reflect campus life.
“We want to capture the authentic, genuine student experience,” Latif said. “When we talk about community, what does that look like? How do you put that in a photo?”
To answer these questions, Latif pointed to the need for a unified strategy behind the content. While platforms like TikTok and Instagram are essential to reaching today’s generation, she stressed that someone has to be behind the scenes, curating and coordinating the message.
“Anybody who’s alive in this day and age, they know that to market something, you have to be on TikTok, you have to be on the platforms that the current generation is moving to,” Latif said. “But no one’s going to know what anyone’s doing unless somebody is bringing that together in some capacity.”
For Abby Booth, a sophomore admissions student staff member and communication major with a concentration in journalism, social media has become a way to share the impact Manhattan University has had on her own journey.
“I am absolutely in love with this school,” Booth said. “It’s changed my life, being a part of changing somebody else’s life, I think that starts with social media.”
This focus on sharing real student stories is exactly what Evelyn Orellana, director of admission strategy and communication, sees as an essential quality to building an encouraging and connected campus community.
“We understand that students want to see students, and we also know that they want to see what students are doing on campus,” Orellana said. “That’s exactly how they envision themselves here.”
Looking ahead, Orellana shared that the goal is to involve the broader campus community in these outreach efforts. By engaging current students, faculty and staff, the admissions team aims to create a welcoming environment even before students arrive on campus.
“The goal moving forward is to obviously involve the campus community,” Orellana said. “So that’s just one way before a student reaches campus that they’re getting to know us. I think it’s just one more channel of communication.”
Orellana, alongside the rest of the Manhattan University admissions office, continues to promote collaborations across campus, encouraging students, faculty and staff to take part in shaping the university’s digital presence.
“If you have events you want us to come support,” Orellana said. “We share all of that information, not only with our team, but again, our audience.”