Schools [2], a Facebook application from Inigral, was first featured [3] on Inside Higher Ed in the summer of 2008. The Schools app leverages the relationship and engagement dynamics of Facebook to enhance student enrollment and retention. A Preferred Developer Consultant on Facebook, Inigral is the only higher education focused company with that designation. There are currently 11 schools that use the Schools app and they include a wide range of institutions, from large 4 year publics to smaller private schools. Schools is unique in that it creates a community within a community. Institutions that use the application use Facebook as a way to get students virtually talking and connecting before they are even on campus.

It was announced last week that Inigral had received a $2 million investment [4] from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Part of this funding includes a grant partner program [pdf] [5]. Five institutions will be awarded the chance to adopt the Schools app for free for two years.

There is still a major debate as to the efficacy of social media tools and engagement. The fact that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation made such a major investment shows a high level of confidence for using social media engagement as a way to increase enrollment and foster student retention.

Inigral and Schools was featured on several blogs and websites last week, including: Mashable [6], NPR [7], .eduGuru [8], and Higher Ed Live [9].

Another company that is using social media as a platform for student engagement is the New York-based Red Rover [10]. Unlike Inigral which focuses primarily on Facebook, Red Rover taps into several social media channels with its proprietary platform. A prevalent theme for 2011 is how higher education can capitalize on social media as a way to create relationships that enhance student retention and engagement.

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