Three years ago, OIT partnered with the Division of Student Affairs to launch Campus Groups, better known as SMU360, across campus. Since then, the platform has become a growing hub used by Greek life for member management, Perkins School of Theology for certification program management, and, of course, Student Affairs for managing the expansive array of events and communications across campus.
While multiple offices and organizations have discovered creative ways to use its features, we wanted to share some of the recent ground Student Affairs has gained to inspire new ideas for your own communication needs.
Streamlining Communications Across Student Affairs
For Bonnie Pickett, Technology and Web Specialist in the Division of Student Affairs, SMU360 has streamlined the way her team shares information.
“We have found SMU360 to be a really effective and user-friendly platform for division and campus communications through newsletters, event communication, and reaching segmented audiences,” Bonnie explained. “It’s easy to build newsletters by automatically pulling in event details such as date, time, location, descriptions, and a button to RSVP—saving time and ensuring consistency.”
Bonnie’s office uses SMU360 for their weekly newsletter to staff and graduate assistants, which allowed them to retire their MailChimp subscription. “This allowed my office to allocate money elsewhere”, she shared. Other departments, like the Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, have also begun using SMU360 for their regular communications as well.
“SMU360 has made it not only simple and efficient to build newsletters, but it’s much easier to send now while still reaching the same audience,” Bonnie added.
SMU360 also provides analytics for open and click rates, helping users measure engagement and refine their approach.
Beyond Newsletters: A Multi-functional Tool
Dr. Sean Murphy, Director for Student Center & Activities, shared how SMU360 has become essential for additional tools.
“If forms and surveys are built in SMU360, it’s also very easy to link those in communications with just one click,” Sean said. “This has been VERY helpful in promoting student leader trainings, applications for leadership programs, or other initiatives that require detailed information.”
Sean’s office also uses SMU360 to manage resource requests, like access to storage spaces or banner postings, and to support student organizations with applications for Program Council, Student Foundation, and Student Senate elections.
Sean also highlighted that the weekly Friday Update, which announces campus events, has been much easier with SMU360’s built-in templates and date filters. While he acknowledges that the newsletter has some minor technical limitations, he shared, “It’s certainly an improvement over our previous event dissemination means”.
Engagement Made Easy
Student organizations have embraced SMU360 for event advertising, check-ins, and attendance tracking. A quick scan of an SMU ID adds attendees to the roster, and analytics by class year or other involvement-related demographics help groups plan future events for their target audiences. Post-event surveys and the “email all attendees” feature make follow-up simple. Organizations are even creating storefronts to collect dues or sell merchandise, adding flexibility to their operations.
Ready to explore SMU360 for your events and communications?
Visit the SMU360 Resources page for documentation and tips on getting started.
