CONWAY, Ark. (Sept. 9, 2009) – Hendrix has a new presence on the Internet: the Hendrix College Admissions and Financial Aid fan page on Facebook. The admissions office created the page in an effort to communicate with high school students on their own terms, on one of the most popular social networking sites.
The fan page provides important information for incoming and prospective students, and also provides a forum for them to discuss Hendrix and ask questions. The page also features links to a series of virtual photo albums, such as “Hendrix on a Winter Day” and “Send-Off Parties”.
Freshman Karyn Kuan, one of 353 fans of the page, has been an active user. She has commented on several discussion boards and used the page to meet other incoming students. She first noticed the send-off photos two weeks ago, when pictures of the summer send-off parties in Austin, Texas, and Fort Smith, Ark., were added.
The parties, hosted in 13 cities around the country, are designed to foster a sense of community among the Hendrix students who live in each city. Alumni, parents and current students gather together to welcome the incoming freshmen into the Hendrix family. Each party ends with a photo shoot of the freshmen holding big, orange “Hendrix-Bound” signs.
Kuan, who lives in Mercer Island, Wash., turned orange with envy when she saw the pictures. Although Hendrix has recently increased enrollment among students from the West Coast, this year's westernmost send-off party took place in Denver. Scrolling through photo after photo of smiling faces, Kuan posted a comment on one of them: “OK can I seriously get one of those signs?”
Admissions counselor Jenn McKenzie granted her request, with one stipulation: Kuan would need to take a picture with the sign, to celebrate her own little send-off party of one.
When Kuan’s received her sign in the mail in mid-August, she didn’t just take a quick snapshot. Instead, she and a friend brought the sign on a tour of Seattle. They took more than a dozen pictures of Kuan holding the sign: with the Space Needle, at the fish market, next to the first Starbucks….
"I thought the least I could do was to give the sign a tour around Seattle, both representing the best college in the world and creating some memorable pictures."
Because Hendrix is not well known among Washingtonians, Kuan has taken on the role of Hendrix cheerleader.
"When someone asks me where I'm going to college, I tell them all about Hendrix and how awesome it is instead of just throwing out a name," she said.
Kuan, a United Methodist, has joined the Volunteer Action Committee, one of Hendrix's service organizations, and looks forward to participating in other programs through the Miller Center for Vocation, Ethics and Calling. She is considering a major in Philosophy/Religion and a minor in International Relations.
When Kuan posted her pictures to Facebook, the admissions counselors couldn't stop talking about them.
“She went above and beyond,” McKenzie said. “It was a very Hendrix thing to do.”
McKenzie and the other admissions counselors liked the photos so much that they paid Kuan the ultimate Facebook compliment. They uploaded her photos to the fan page, with the title "Hendrix Bound in Seattle".
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2009 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.
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