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Stakes and emotions are high for prospective students, and all those emojis are playing out online. This between-a-sode brings you straight into the research lab with our favorite social listening partner, Campus Sonar. I welcome returning Josie & the Podcast guest, Stephen App, as well as Rebecca Stapley – both part of the Campus Sonar team. We’re dissecting the findings of their most recent research on future and current college students’ online conversations called, Social Listening in Higher ed: The College Admissions Journey.
The internet is real life, which means the perception of your campus online is reality. Do you know what your reality is and if it aligns with your strategic initiatives? Social listening can help answer questions you have about your campus’s online conversation—both what people are saying to you when they tag you as well as about you when they don’t—and how to incorporate insights from that conversation into your institution’s goals. And getting started doesn’t have to be a huge investment of time or money. Campus Sonar, a higher ed social listening agency and sponsor of JATP, has the goods to help you get started, whether you’re just looking to read up or want to try a low-cost, introductory project. Learn more at info.campussonar.com/podcast.
Digital Leadership Download Newsletter
Social Listening in Higher Ed: The College Admissions Journey
Steve’s Most Recent Tweet
Rebecca’s Most Recent Tweet
CASE Social Media and Community Conference
Varsity Blue College Admissions Scandal
Reed Scherer, Campus Sonar Social Media Data Analyst
Reddit Is More Influential in Higher Ed Than You Think by Stephen App
The Years That Matter Most by Paul Tough
Steve is Campus Sonar’s Business Development Manager. A natural marketer and relationship builder, Steve has spent more than ten years in higher education, in both campus and agency environments. In his career, Steve has helped launch a student-blogging platform, an agency podcast, and a higher education online magazine, all with a mission to bring people together through content.
At Campus Sonar, Steve serves as an evangelist for social listening, helping higher education institutions understand new ways that campus constituents—including prospective, admitted, and current students, as well as faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders—use social media and online communities to communicate. An amateur runner, professional donut connoisseur, and staunch defender of the Oxford comma, you can often find him posting Seinfeld gifs on Twitter.
Twitter: @stephenapp
LinkedIn: /stephenapp
Instagram: @stephenapp
Twitter: @rstapley
LinkedIn: /rstapley
Rebecca is a Strategist at Campus Sonar. She has spent more than nine years in higher education enrollment and marketing, honing her skills and passion for delivering results-driven strategy that aligns with institutional goals and values. While on campus, Rebecca piloted a student blog targeted towards prospective students and managed a team of student content creators who added their authentic voice to help tell the college story. She also served as strategist and project manager for the college’s Giving Day and launched a new strategic partnership between alumni and marketing focused on social media. Rebecca holds a Master’s Degree in Integrative Marketing and Communications and is a noted public speaker who has presented at various higher education conferences. Outside of her day job, Rebecca is a yoga teacher and health coach. She loves being cozy and spending time in nature with her husband and their dogs, Gus and Ella.
I’m Dr. Josie Ahlquist — digital engagement and leadership strategist, researcher, author, and educator. I help higher education professionals and mission-driven organizations harness the power of digital communication to lead with authenticity, build thriving online communities, and tell their stories with purpose.
Through my consulting work, I offer tailored, hands-on support in marketing and communications strategy, executive coaching, upskilling for teams, and keynote speaking. My approach is grounded in research and fueled by empathy, helping clients lead online with clarity and confidence.
You can follow my insights and interviews on my blog and podcast, with content featured by EdTech Magazine, Inside Higher Ed, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. I’m also the author of Digital Leadership in Higher Education (2020), an Amazon #1 New Release.
Let’s connect! You’ll find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky.
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Rebekah Tilley is the assistant vice president of communication and marketing for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement (UICA). In that role she supports fundraising and alumni engagement efforts for the university, including its CASE Gold winning Iowa Magazine, and serves UICA in a variety of strategic communication efforts.
Previously she was the director of strategic communication for the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, and the director of communication for the University of Kentucky College of Law. She is a Kentucky native and a proud alum of the University of Kentucky.
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