As you prepare for fall rush, maximizing the number of students that successfully complete online photo submission prior to arriving in your card office is key. Rosie Ashley, Director of Cougar Card Services at the University of Houston, is keenly aware of this fact. Her office launched online photo upload several years ago, but student usage was consistently below expectations. In a recent post on the NACCU Positive Identity Blog, she outlines the steps her team has taken to turn the tide and top 75% participation in the Fall 2022 semester.

In the early years, they relied primarily on emails to incoming students, but this approach fell short as many students seemed unresponsive to email messaging. “We knew we had to rethink how we communicated to the campus community to encourage them to upload their photos and pick up their cards before the fall rush,” she writes. “Our new strategy was to over-communicate through as many channels and on-campus partnerships as possible.”

Among her tips to increase online photo submissions, she acknowledges that they still use email, but they have added many other channels. Like most card offices, they use social media, but the card office does not have their own dedicated accounts. Relying on the larger reach of other campus accounts they have developed an innovative approach to social (don’t miss her mention of “Coog Moms”).

In-person, print, and a focus on parental outreach are all making a difference for the Cougar Card Office. For the full list of Rosie Ashley's tips for increasing online photo submissions, check out the NACCU Positive IDentity Blog.