Grambling State University is encouraging the use of social media with its own university social media policy and a leadership request to get engaged online.
The university’s policy committee considered and approved a social media policy in August (2013) and GSU President Frank G. Pogue is urging everyone to consider how best to incorporate social media into the institution’s academic and business operations with the guidance of the new policy.
“It’s something we must incorporate into appropriate business aspects of our operations,” the president said in a letter to the university community. “It’s definitely something we must use to connect with, and stay connected with, students and alumni.”
Pogue noted that a number of GSU associations, colleges, departments, offices and units use, or want to use, social media sites such as Blogger, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat, tumblr., Twitter, YouTube, RSS feeds and other social media sites. He said “social media is a great way to stay in contact with your audience – whether it is alumni, colleagues or prospective students.”
The president said the university will develop a list of officially recognized and sanctioned Grambling State University social media sites, and he asked for the assistance of all university administration, faculty, staff and students. He said it was social media that put Grambling State University over the top to win $50,000 in scholarship money in the recent Allstate/Tom Joyner Foundation “Quotes for Education” contest.
“We are not requiring everyone to use social media,” added Pogue. “However, there are some duties and responsibilities that increasingly require us to incorporate social media into what we do.”
GSU’s Social Media Policy has been online for several months, and a social media form has been developed and was launched this week. “I ask that all Grambling State University associations, colleges, departments, divisions, offices and units comply with our social media policy by entering the requested information at http://gsunet/docs/socialmedia.asp for EACH social media account,” the president wrote in the letter. “If an association has two social media accounts with two or more people as account holders, both social media accounts must be registered with each person’s name. If one person in an office is the account user for each of three social media sites, that person needs to complete a form for each of the sites.
Pogue said though no one person at GSU is a social media expert with sole responsibility for social media, he encourages those with comments, questions and suggestions to touch base with communications and public relations director Will Sutton mediarelations@gram.edu.