Enrollment numbers are up this year by 14% over Fall 2016. Along with 203 freshman and 48 transfers, Buena Vista University welcomes one international student. Last year, the numbers were 183, 39, and 6 respectively. 93.2% of students continued their college education at BVU from spring to fall, the highest retention rate admissions has seen since 2000.

Iowans mark 53% of the student body, while 46% are from states such as Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai’I, Alaska, and others.

“Sports recruitment is a major driver for our campus,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management, Mike Frantz. This year, there are 418 athletes, making up 55% of the student body.

Jennifer Felton, Director of University Marketing & Communications, directed a digital strategy assisting the growth of interest in BVU. Felton and her team began the initiative early January of last year, collecting data that would contribute to perspective student engagement on social media. There were challenges, but they were “normal challenges for initiatives this large,” explained Felton.

This year Felton says, “there are all kinds of new things to try.” The Marketing and Communications team are constantly looking for the right strategy to deliver relevant content to their audience. They watch what is and isn’t working at other universities, keep up with social media communication trends, and keep in mind what perspective students and their parents want.

“The key is to meet audiences where they are without causing disruption,” said Felton.

According to Felton, the most exciting aspect of the initiative was working with BVU students to get their personalized experiences out there.

“I am grateful to the students who have helped us so far,” said Felton.

Felton and her team plan to continue the campaign, researching new and relevant ways to reach prospective students with this digital strategy, hoping it will continue to be helpful to Buena Vista University admissions.