College campuses across the nation come in all shapes and sizes. Some sit smack dab in the middle of the city, while others reside in small towns on acres of greenery. Some boast centuries-old, historical buildings, while some are marvels of modern architecture. Some are big, some are small. Some sit squat, while some are tall. But, whether you’re in Alabama or Wyoming, all campuses have one thing in common–a student population that is seemingly glued to their cell phones.

As a result, America’s colleges and universities are finding ways to harness the power of these mobile devices and putting them to work for themselves. And here’s how.

Messaging As A Line of Defence

Colleges and universities, for the most part, are idyllic settings that provide the backdrop for learning and socializing with friends. But, every once in awhile, an emergency may crop up. With some campuses serving tens of thousands of students, sending out alerts can get tricky–unless, of course, the school has an SMS messaging plan in effect.

In fact, according to “How Schools and SMS Messaging have Revolutionized Student Communications,” the US Department of Education has imposed legal requirements on colleges and universities to issue timely warnings in a manner likely to reach all members of the campus community in the event of an emergency. Thanks to text messaging, students can be kept abreast of emergency situations immediately.

Teachers’ Aide

SMS messaging can also prove to be a professor’s best friend, enabling them to communicate with all of their students at once. Whether they wish to remind pupils of an upcoming assignment deadline, clarify an assignment’s expectations, or provide students with a link to their grades or exam results, SMS messaging is a huge time-saver. And, if a professor needs to cancel a class, text messaging can prevent students from making wasted trips to school.

School Spirit Supporter

A great way to fill the bleachers at your school’s football games, increase attendance at career fairs, ensure participation at a social event, or recruit volunteers is to get the word out to the entire student body–which, for large institutions, can be a monumental feat. SMS messaging, however, can become your team’s biggest cheerleader, sending out instant notifications and drawing greater support for your school’s extracurricular endeavors. Yay, text messaging!

A Star Recruiter

A college’s very survival depends on attracting new students and keeping enrollment figures up. And, any tool that can make that happen is worth its weight in gold–making SMS messaging priceless.

“How Schools can Use Text Messaging to Increase Student Enrollment” lists several ways that post-secondary institutions use this tool to attract new prospects. Some of these include sending out invitations to Open Houses, promoting your school’s website, building a pool of future prospect contacts, reminding applicants of deadlines, and providing tips for completing the application process. Not only will potential students be impressed with your school’s attentiveness and helpfulness, but they will also admire its use of modern technology.

An Administrative Assistant

Colleges and universities have a huge number of employees. Scheduling staff meetings and reaching a consensus on dates and times can be a nightmare. Yikes. SMS Messaging, however, has proven itself to be quite adept at tackling these nasty internal tasks. As “3 Ways Schools and Universities are Using Mass Texting” explains, “instead of sending an email or putting a paper notice in staff mailboxes and waiting for everybody to respond, you can simply send out a mass text to get a better sense of their schedules almost immediately.” Nightmare over.

Librarian’s Henchman

Even the school library can offload some of its more tedious tasks, thanks to SMS messaging. Bye-bye overdue book phone calls. Text messaging can handle this little chore. It can also inform students of the library’s hours and policy changes, ensuring that students are better able to make use of this valuable resource.

Yes, SMS messaging truly is an educational institution’s best friend. And, if you haven’t yet adopted your own mobile phone, what are you waiting for? Your school may be trying to reach you at this very moment.

What sort of SMS messages does your college or university send out to students?