Strengthening Student Relationships Through Communication

By: Reese McClelland

Hi there! My name is Reese McClelland, and I’m a senior studying Communication with a minor in Business Management. I’ve lived on campus all four years, work several on-campus jobs, am involved in several student organizations, and love staying engaged in events happening around EMU. I credit much of my success here to the ways that I’ve become connected to campus beyond simply attending classes. 

On that note, I’m here to talk today about the importance of student connections. 

The way that we connect with the world around us makes a huge impact on our experiences. Our impressions are built on our relationships and the way we communicate with family, friends, peers, teachers, and everyone around us.

With the change in higher education climate that we’re experiencing, it becomes more important than ever that we put in continuous effort to make quality connections. As crucial as it is that we recruit students to our Eastern Michigan University, it is even more so that we work to keep students here and, more importantly, happy. Student experience remains at the heart of why we do what we do at EMU, and we must remember this as our “why” behind our actions.

Another trend that we’re continuing to see is the growth in technology and social media. With it so easily accessible to us, we rely on digital communication just as much as we do face-to-face communication. In addition to connecting with students in person, we need to continue to build relationships utilizing digital platforms.

College should feel like more than classes and homework. The interconnectedness between students and the university matters to one's whole experience in college. As cliche as it sounds, this is a space for students to grow into a version of themselves bigger than they started. And, that’s where we need faculty help. 

Linked here, you’ll find some Canva templates (under the "Templates for Departmental Communications" tab on the Persisting Together webpage). These are designed to provide an easy way to connect with students via departmental social media accounts and newsletters. Click on each template and make a copy of the document to find an editable version where all you have to do is insert your information! 

Newsletter Templates: Monthly newsletters are an easy, efficient way to ensure students are in-the-know with their academic programs. Whether it comes from a college, department, or major, these can keep students informed in how they can connect to their program. You’ll find easy-to-fill-in sections such as news, event highlights, student/faculty spotlights, and contact information.

Announcements: The announcement post can be used for anything you’d like to communicate to students. Designed to be posted to Instagram and other social media, these can be used to make sure students are aware of interesting classes in the department, guest speakers, other departmental announcements, or university calendar items like registration.  These are simple and quick, which make them a great way to communicate messages to students. Emails should continue to be sent, of course, since some students will not be on Instagram or other social media, but conversations with students suggest departments can get a different level of engagement using social media.

Event Promotion: One of the greatest ways students can feel connected is by attending events. All you’ll need for these templates are the information about the event. This is intended to promote events so you get good turnout, and make sure students can find things they’d like to be involved in. The upcoming events post is designed to be used at the beginning of the semester, month, or when you have several events planned that you’d like to market all at once. 

Department Spotlight: These spotlights can be used to showcase students, faculty, and student organizations who are doing cool things within the department/program. Whether it’s community service, research, an interesting internship, or a successful event, this is a great way to build community and support for each other within the program. This can also be used to highlight faculty/professors and their backgrounds so that students get to know who they’re learning from. 

All of this is to say, there are so many ways we can connect with students so they feel more at home here at EMU. We are excited to see all of the impact that implementing more communication can have on students, and how connected they can get with their departments or programs!