Last winter, Eastern Kentucky University President Michael Benson gained international attention when a Twitter exchange led to him shoveling snow off a student’s driveway.
On Monday, Aug. 24, the first day of fall classes at EKU, he took to Snapchat to converse with students, posting videos and photos of his interactions with students and faculty and responding to any “snaps” he received at EKUstories.
“Dr. Benson has been very willing to directly connect with students through Twitter,” noted Beth Brashears, digital media student recruitment specialist in EKU’s Admissions Office. “Snapchat is another platform that students use regularly, and his ‘Snapchat Takeover’ will give them another opportunity to see what it is like to walk in the shoes of Dr. Benson at EKU. It will be a great way for students to see yet another side of the EKU administration and contact Dr. Benson directly, allowing for the personal connections that we are so proud of at EKU.”
Benson, beginning his third year at the helm of EKU, has more than 7,500 followers on Twitter (@EKUPrez) and “tweets” regularly about campus events, activities and plans. His first experience with Snapchat was going well, as of late afternoon. Almost 80 new followers joined in just a few hours, with 800-plus views of each individual snap.