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ROSCOMMON – As technology and the information highway change, so have efforts by officials at Kirtland Community College to keep in touch with students and community members.
Last week, Kirtland’s Marketing Department officially launched efforts through two social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, to help inform staff, students and interested community members about college events and happenings.
“The use of sites such as Facebook has exploded,” said Dennis Mansfield, Kirtland’s director of public relations. “These types of sites just give us another avenue to help let people know what’s happening here at our main campus near Roscommon, as well as at our other locations in Gaylord and West Branch. It’s to everyone’s advantage that the college is an active participant in social networking sites.”
One immediate advantage to students might be the posting of class cancellations on the college’s new Twitter page.
“We realize that many students drive 25 miles or more to our main campus, and it’s an extreme inconvenience to get here and only then find out that their classes aren’t being held,” said Jo Ann Gave, administrative assistant in KCC’s Student Services office. “By signing up to be a ‘follower’ of Kirtland on Twitter, we have yet another way to hopefully let people know if there have been any such changes, so that our students can plan accordingly.”
Signing up to be a Kirtland “fan” on Facebook or “follower” on Twitter is easy. Icons for the two sites have been posted on the college’s home webpage at www.kirtland.edu. A person simply has to click on the icon of their choice to get to the college’s page on that particular social networking site.
Mansfield said the Facebook site will be used to let people know of events usually well in advance of the actual happening, while officials will use Twitter for more immediate announcements.
“We realize not everyone uses social networking sites,” he added. “But, for some, it’s a great way to receive updates via the computer or even their cellular phones. And Kirtland wants to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep in touch with those people interested in events here at KCC.”
Annually, about 3,200 students attend a variety of certificate and two-year degree programs at Kirtland’s three locations – near Roscommon, and the Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) in Gaylord and in West Branch – with the college’s service area including all or parts of Crawford, Oscoda, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Otsego, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Gladwin and Alcona counties, and the surrounding areas.
For more information on Kirtland, persons may call 989-275-5000, extension 284.
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