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Challenging city misconceptions through cyberspaceHoly Cross’s new Word on Worcester paints a pretty picture of our city
The site, called The Word on Worcester, is part of the college’s
online admissions section, but it attempts to go beyond a traditional
college admissions site by addressing all that is endearingly unique about
this city. In addition to information about area restaurants, transportation, shopping
and entertainment, the site has fun Worcester facts, an advanced social
calendar, short features and even student podcasts (blogs downloadable
in mp3 format). “Our strategy [for this site] was to try to counteract some of
the negative stereotypes that students have about Worcester,” said
Holy Cross Director of Admissions Ann McDermott. Holy Cross’s site,
launched in July of this year, is the brainchild of Frank Vellaccio, senior
vice president for the College of the Holy Cross. Vellaccio, who oversees
admissions policies, felt that a site like this was necessary to help
prospective students, especially from outside the region, learn more about
the city. As Ellen Ryder, Director of Public Affairs at the college, mentioned
in an interview, students looking for a college are not simply selecting
a school; they’re deciding on a place to live. She sees the site
as an opportunity for Holy Cross to illustrate Worcester on a deeper level. “We’re not trying to sell [Worcester] as something it’s
not,” Ryder said, “but honestly [the site staff] all grew
up here, and we really enjoy living in Worcester. We want to get that
information out to an external audience.” The Word on Worceste ris likely the first of many similar sites from
other area schools, as all will be involved in an initiative called The
Worcester UniverCity Partnership. This alliance amongst the city, the
consortium of Worcester colleges and the local business community was
commissioned by Mayor Timothy to examine best practices from cities across
the country and to propose ways that the City of Worcester could utilize
local colleges for economic development and community revitalization.
Armand Carriere, founding Executive Director for The Worcester UniverCity
Partnership, agrees that college admissions web sites are a great way
to combat negative ideas. “If Worcester has an ‘image problem’, it may be that,
in spite of the numerous colleges in the area, it is not perceived as
a college town. One of the initiatives the UniverCity Partnership will
be undertaking will be to address this image problem,” said Carriere
via e-mail. “Holy Cross’s The Word on Worcester[site] is a good example
of presenting Worcester in a positive light, highlighting the cultural
and recreational features of the area,” said Carriere. “We’re
encouraging the other colleges to develop similar strategies.” Steven
Hickey, Holy Cross Class of 2008, and member of the Student Government
Association, thinks that this site has a lot of potential for current
as well as prospective students. “The city of Worcester is underappreciated,” Hickey said.
“Even people who have been [here] for a while aren’t aware
of all that Worcester has to offer. The site goes a long way to helping
provide links to things in Worcester that students can enjoy.” Looking forward, The College of the Holy Cross plans to expand on the
site as they gather input from current and prospective students. The college
plans to survey incoming students to discover their reasons for attending,
as well as to talk to those students who defer admission, to find out
how location played into their decision. Be sure to check out The Word
on Worcester for yourself at http://www.holycross.edu/departments/adm-fa-bur/admissions/Worcester/index.html
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September
2005 - If you’re living or working in Worcester, you almost
certainly feel an affinity towards this unique city. Nevertheless, is
it possible to convince young adults from across the country and the globe
that Worcester is where they want to spend four years of their lives?
That’s just the impetus behind a new web site by The College of
the Holy Cross.