Saint Mary's Creates "Virtual" Commencement Experience

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Saint Mary's Creates Social Media-Driven Commencement Experience

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579 (desk)
(574) 286-4977 (cell)

May 14, 2010 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Just in time for its 163rd Commencement, Saint Mary's College launched a social media-driven Commencement Web site, making it possible to “virtually” attend tomorrow’s graduation ceremony, which is at noon on Le Mans Green. Students, alumnae, faculty, staff or anyone interested will be able to experience the sites and sounds of Commencement, almost in “real time”, at
www.saintmarys.edu/2010. It’s the first time the College has offered a Commencement experience this way.

“We wanted to give the seniors something special that would allow them to share a little piece of their Saint Mary's experience with family and friends, as well as allowing them to have a digital keepsake. We also wanted to include a community aspect to it by inviting alumnae to be part of the conversation,” said Daniel Miller, director of Web communications at Saint Mary's College. “We worked to build it around tools that the students were already using like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.”

Already on the site are photos of events leading up to Commencement, like the May 2 Honors Convocation, where seniors were presented with honors and awards. Seniors are invited to upload photos and videos from Senior Week functions that occurred earlier this week like a Cubs game and Party on the Island, the senior picnic held on the “island” on the College’s Lake Marian. The site also features the latest news for seniors on upcoming events, like this afternoon’s Nurse’s Pinning, a ceremony for graduating nursing students, and the Baccalaureate Mass, a Eucharistic Liturgy celebrating the achievements of Saint Mary’s Class of 2010.

But the most anticipated feature on the Web site will be Commencement “coverage”, as members of the College’s Web Communications team upload videos and photos from the event as it is going on.

Word of the site has spread through Facebook and Twitter and seniors have really taken to it, says Mary Elizabeth Ulliman ’10, a Business Administration major who is going to work for Google later this summer. “The site is a great way for seniors to share pictures with one another and for family members who maybe couldn't physically attend the ceremonies to keep track of all the events and what the graduates-to-be are doing,” says Ulliman. “Seniors can connect with each other and with family members, and, especially after the fact, I think the site will remain very popular for those nostalgic seniors wanting to hold on to their last days at Saint Mary’s.”

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.