#BearsForever

Homecoming means football, fanfare, reunions—and it marks the perfect occasion to share your points of pride. Your blog is not only a great way to let students know about Homecoming events, it’s also an ideal medium for filling alumni in on your department’s latest news and achievements. If you’d like a little help getting started, check out the sample blog below.

Sample blog

Homecoming is just around the corner

If you find yourself humming “it’s the most wonderful time of the year,” who can blame you? Brisk weather, stunning foliage, pumpkins—and an upcoming Homecoming celebration. It’s a great time to enjoy our beautiful campus, take advantage of our active community and connect with visiting alumni.

The following resources can help you keep track of everything that’s happening.

• #BearsForever is the official hashtag of Homecoming. Use it as you upload photos and share memories on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• The Missouri State mobile application currently features a helpful Homecoming tab.
• The student Homecoming website lists all the student activities, including competitions and carnivals.
• The alumni Homecoming website lets you know how to participate in events like tailgating and the 5K.
• The College of Arts & Letters is hosting a series of Homecoming programs, including artistic events and professional panels.
• The master calendar catalogs all events by date. (If you don’t see yours listed, be sure to submit it.)
• It’s also a great time to commemorate our unique public affairs mission, and the community engagement project makes that easy! Remember to donate your worn-but-wearable shoes in one of the drop boxes around campus.

And if your college, department or organization is hosting a tent in BearFest Village, help people find you by posting the details on your blog.

Points of pride

Once you’ve filled everyone in on what’s happening around campus, consider creating a blog post that relates your achievements. A few ideas to consider:

Proud history: How many alumni have graduated from your department or program? How have they contributed to Missouri State’s reputation?

Remarkable present: What awards and honors has your program recently earned?

Bright future: Have you added new degree options, faculty or events? What does the future look like? Is there a way alumni can contribute to that vision?

You could even cover all three topics with something like:

Homecoming 2013: remembrance and celebration

Did you know? The (insert name here) department is (number of graduates) graduates strong. That’s (number of graduates) links in a remarkable alumni “chain,” one that stretches across many states and countries. Our graduates can be found contributing to organizations such as (insert company or institution names here).

Our current students, faculty and staff are continuing this tradition of excellence. Just since Homecoming 2012, we have received the following honors:

• Begin bulleted list of awards here…
• …even more awards…
• Wow! even more…

As we look forward to a bright future, we are proud to have added (insert and/or describe new degree programs, courses or other assets here). We feel confident that we’ll continue to grow, develop and thrive, and our alumni are critical to our continued success. If you’re among them, please take a moment to update your contact information or send our department an email letting us know what you’ve been doing. We take great pride in your achievements!

Upcoming dates

There are some important (non-Homecoming-related) dates as well. You might want to let your readers know about the following:

• Oct. 25 is the deadline to submit an Intent to Graduate for Fall 2013 Commencement.
• Nov. 1 is the deadline to order a cap and gown online with delivery to the bookstore (no shipping fee).
• Throughout October, the office of diversity and inclusion is sponsoring events commemorating LGBT History and Disability History Awareness months.
• Nov. 11 is the Public Affairs Convocation. Blake Mycoskie, founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS, will present remarks.

Blogging tip

Tags make it easy for your readers to find similar posts on your blog. Use the Tags box in your editor screen to add relevant search terms:

These search terms will then show up at the bottom of your published post, and because they are clickable, your readers can use them to access related posts.

And remember that University communications and the office of Web and new media are hosting a blogging open lab on Monday, Oct. 14. Feel free to bring your post ideas and general blogging questions for some one-on-one assistance.