Rubio paused visa interviews last month while the State Department created rules for the social media screenings.
John McDonnell/Getty Images
The U.S. State Department is rolling out sweeping new rules for vetting student visa applicants using their social media presence, according to Politico.
The new process will include screening for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States,” according to an internal State Department cable.
Department officials will also look for posts that signal “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to national security” and “support for antisemitic harassment or violence,” specifically citing support for Hamas—a charge commonly levied against student protesters advocating for Palestinian rights—as grounds for rejection. The cable also directs officials to cull applicants who “demonstrate a history of political activism.”
The news comes a few weeks after Secretary of State Marco Rubio paused all student visa interviews in order to implement a new screening policy focusing on students’ online activity. The Associated Press reported that the department rescinded the pause, but applicants who don’t allow the government to review their social media accounts could be rejected.
The cable is the Trump administration’s latest effort to curtail the flow of international students to the U.S., as tens of thousands of foreign students await approval of their visas after months of delays and with only weeks until the start of the fall semester.
State Department spokespeople did not respond to a list of questions from Inside Higher Ed in time for publication.
During her first semester pursuing a doctorate in conducting at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, Rebecca Bryant Novak reported sexual harassment by Professor Neil Varon and asked that the school limit her contact with Varon. But Senior Associate Dean and Title IX Coordinator John Hain rejected her request. According to Bryant Novak, Hain said the school trusted Varon — because he’s faculty — and told her to consider transferring somewhere else.
In May 2024, Bryant Novak published their exchange on her Substack. Hain’s response? He threatened her with a defamation lawsuit.
So she reported Hain’s handling of the complaint to the university’s administration and, after a yearlong investigation, the university determined Varon had indeed violated its harassment policy — and that Eastman had badly mishandled Bryant Novak’s complaint.
Yet Eastman allowed Varon to retain oversight of Bryant Novak’s academic trajectory. It restricted her performance times, allowing her to avoid him but costing her conducting opportunities. When she protested, Eastman did nothing.
Running out of options, Bryant Novak once again escalated her complaint about Eastman’s alleged retaliation to the University of Rochester, Eastman’s parent institution. The university launched a second investigation of Eastman in December 2024.
In February, Bryant Novak wrote about it on her Substack. Days later, Eastman expelled her.
The school cited Bryant Novak’s supposed failure to make academic progress in its expulsion letter. Yet Eastman completely disregarded its own policy regarding academic progress reviews. Apparently, just days after she took her complaints public, Eastman’s alleged concerns about Bryant Novak suddenly became so acute that it felt it needed to just go ahead and entirely skip over the two-semester review process required by its own policies before dismissal.
Bryant Novak got no warning. No appeal. And the range of allegations Eastman cited for her expulsion didn’t even meet the criteria to put a student on warning status, let alone dismiss them. FIRE has plenty of experience in investigating cases, but one does not need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what was going on with Eastman and Bryant Novak.
Today, FIRE wrote a letter to the University of Rochester, urging it to reinstate Bryant Novak:
Eastman’s failure to follow its own policy in any respect, the temporal proximity of Bryant Novak’s dismissal to her public disclosure of Rochester’s investigation, and Eastman’s contentious history with Bryant Novak — including Hain’s lawsuit threat against Bryant Novak and the conflict of interest inherent in allowing Hain’s direct report, Ardizzone, to retain authority over Bryant Novak’s academic standing — all strongly suggest that Bryant Novak’s dismissal was retaliation for speech explicitly protected by Rochester policies.
The University of Rochester is a private institution, which means that unlike public universities, it is not a government actor obligated to uphold constitutional free speech rights. Nevertheless, it promises students protection for their speech — including protection from retaliation for complaining about harassment.
But no one protected Bryant Novak. When she spoke out about harassment, Eastman retaliated. When she protested the retaliation, Eastman expelled her. Let’s tell the University of Rochester to reinstate Bryant Novak and provide her the due process it promises all its students.
Eastman tried to make her story an example. Instead, it should be a rallying cry.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 18, 2025 — The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is urging the University of Rochester to reinstate an Eastman School of Music student who was expelled after blowing the whistle on a professor who sexually harassed her.
The case lays bare a university system that moved quickly to protect itself at the expense of a student’s right to voice criticisms — even though an internal investigation found the professor responsible for violating the harassment policy.
“There was no due process or hearing,” the student, Rebecca Bryant Novak, said. “The university’s administrators were more concerned about protecting the faculty than adhering to their own rules and addressing bad behavior. They basically tried to destroy my career beyond all comprehension.”
Shortly into her first semester as a Ph.D. student in fall 2023, Bryant Novak complained about abusive behavior by a professor who she said would scream at students and make lewd, sexist comments.
After a yearlong investigation, a panel of faculty and administrators agreed that the professor had indeed violated Rochester’s harassment policy and that Eastman’s Title IX coordinator had grossly mishandled her complaint.
Despite all this, Eastman allowed the same school authorities to retain oversight of Bryant Novak’s academic trajectory — with one official telling her that the school restricted her performance times because of her complaint against the professor.
When Bryant Novak complained, Eastman did nothing. As a result of the alleged retaliation, Rochester opened a second investigation into Eastman’s mishandling of the situation in December 2024, and Bryant Novak publicly disclosed the university’s new investigation in a Substack article on Feb. 10.
Tell Rochester to Stop Muzzling its Students
Take Action
Tell the University of Rochester: Reinstate Rebecca Bryant Novak, restore due process, and stop muzzling students into a culture of silence.
Two weeks later, Eastman abruptly expelled Bryant Novak, citing a failure to make academic progress. In doing so, the school ignored its written policy that calls for students to be given ample notice if they are in danger of falling short of academic standards.
“Rebecca’s expulsion smacks of retaliation for speech that is explicitly protected by the university’s policy,” FIRE Program Counsel Jessie Appleby said. “This is a profound violation of her free speech rights and sends a chilling message to every student at Eastman.”
FIRE is calling on university President Sarah C. Mangelsdorf to immediately reinstate Bryant Novak and ensure that she is able to complete her doctorate under the oversight of Eastman faculty and officials who are not already subject to investigation for misconduct in her case.
“I hope that by taking a stand here, I can help force Rochester to extend the kinds of protections to other students that were denied to me,” Bryant Novak said.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE educates Americans about the importance of these inalienable rights, promotes a culture of respect for these rights, and provides the means to preserve them.
CONTACT:
Karl de Vries, Director of Media Relations, FIRE: 215-717-3473; [email protected]
When’s the last time you updated your headshot, academics?
When people come to me about creating their personal academic website, few say, “I have photos ready to go.” Some professors have never taken professional photos. Many find that the photos you have of yourself feel a bit out dated. And that’s okay. What about you?
This is a special interview for The Social Academic. I’m opening up to share a bit of my personal life because I want to introduce you to these amazing professionals, Amanda Thorne, and Melissa McClure. They’re people I trusted with my professor clients because they’ve been a great support in how I show up online this year in photos.
Melissa McClure is a photographer in San Diego, California with 20+ years of experience. She was my wedding photographer when I got married last June at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I was lucky to have her support with the camera, and felt especially confident because of the artistry skills of Amanda Thorne who did my hair and makeup.
Why am I sharing my wedding photographer and hair and makeup artist with you? Because that wasn’t the end of our journey together. It was the start. Since then we’ve done a personal branding photo shoot when I updated this website (and my personal website too). Melissa and Amanda teamed up for a photo shoot for my husband, Matthew’s website. And Melissa just did a brand shoot for my art history professor father-in-law, Bob. He’s about to launch a new YouTube channel.
Melissa McClure and Amanda Thorne join me to share their tips and expertise about how you show up visually online. We talk about makeup, hair, photos, and getting comfortable on camera.
In this interview
Meet Amanda Thorne and Melissa McClure
Jennifer van Alstyne: Hello and welcome to The Social Academic. I have a special episode for you today where we’re going to be talking a little bit about photography and makeup and what it means to show up visually online. So I have people from my wedding team here because we actually just did a branding photo shoot for my website redesign and it was so amazing. I knew I had to share these experts with you. So I want everyone to meet Amanda Thorne of Thorne Artistry and Melissa McClure.
Amanda Thorne: Hi!
Jennifer: We are so excited that you could both join us live today. Amanda, would you introduce yourself?
Amanda: Thank you so much for having me, Jennifer. And I love working with you and Melissa for your wedding and your branding shoot. My name’s Amanda Thorne. I’m originally from Ohio. I moved out here about 16 years ago now and I’ve had my company Thorne Artistry for 14 years now. So it’s been a while. I do hair makeup, wardrobe styling, and set styling.
Jennifer: Okay, so what does that mean? If I’m someone who has no idea what any of that is, what kinds of things do you actually help people with one-on-one if you’re just working with an individual?
Amanda Thorne
Amanda: So think about it like this. Your image, your branding, what you want to get across to people about yourself and also who you want to attract. That is the big key. And I talk to my clients beforehand about who their audience is in particular and how they want to convey themselves to attract just the right people. And I do that with myself and my own business too, and I’m sure Melissa does.
Jennifer: Melissa, you’ve been a photographer for a long time. Tell me a little bit about how you got started. Why do you enjoy this work?
Melissa McClure: Oh yeah. So I am about to hit my 20 years in business next month. So a little celebration for that. [Clapping] Amanda and I worked together for over a decade. I don’t even know if I can count the years. But-
Jennifer: I didn’t realize that! That’s a long time. Wow.
Amanda: Definitely. We’ve known each other a while. It’s been amazing.
Melissa: And I started my business kind of on a whim. A coworker was getting married and wedding photography kind of fell into my lap and I ran with it. It’s been a real blessing for me over the years. And I forgot your original question, Jennifer.
Jennifer: Oh, it was just kind of introduce yourself and let us know a little bit about who you are, who you like to work with too.
Melissa: Yeah, absolutely. So I love to focus on destination weddings. I’ve always been a traveler. That’s a big part of my identity. Pre-COVID, I was doing almost exclusively destination weddings. Things kind of changed since the pandemic, but I still do local and destination weddings. And I love to work with brides that are just, brides and grooms and all clients. I also do portraits and boudoir. But I love to work with clients that are very chill, very, they know what they want, but they trust. Trust is a big, big part of hiring a wedding vendor…
Jennifer: Ah, trust. I think trust is probably why I hesitated for so long to actually think about taking professional photos for The Academic Designer.
Trusting the process (and who you’re working with)
I’ve had The Social Academic blog and my business since 2018, but I’ve always taken selfies. And that’s always worked for me in the sense that I even told people, like, “If you don’t have time to get a professional photographer, take a selfie. It’ll work.” It’s better than nothing for now.
I didn’t have trust in myself, but I also wasn’t sure how to start trusting potential vendors when it came to taking photos for my business. And when it came to my wedding, it felt like something that I deserved. It felt like something that was kind of part of a typical process. And so it was an easy yes for me to work with you.
But at the same time, it wasn’t until I had that experience and found that the trust was so easy with us. Like, it came so naturally and I felt so comfortable working with both of you that I felt like I could trust myself in the process of actually doing the branding photo shoot. Yeah, it just was so meaningful to me.
I wanted to share you both with everyone here on The Social Academic. A lot of this audience is professors, graduate students, experts, some people who are starting their own businesses now, and people who really want to show up authentically like themselves, the way that people will see them in real life and to feel comfortable in the process of getting there. Because I don’t know, maybe you’re different from me. But like, I don’t know that I’ve ever really felt comfortable in front of the camera, even though people tell me that I look comfortable.
Amanda: You look really comfortable in front of the camera, by the way. I would never know if you hadn’t said that, that you got nervous, you look just like . . . and Melissa is really good about bringing that out of people too, which is amazing.
Melissa: Thank you, Amanda. That’s really sweet. And I want to shout out you too, because I think there’s something about getting glammed up. It’s something we don’t do for ourselves all the time. And having a professional come in and be like, this is how I see your eyes looking the best or I see your skin looking the best. Really gives you that boost of confidence. So that when you get to me as the photographer, you’re already feeling like riding high like, “Hey, I look good. So I think the combination of the two is the sweet spot.
Jennifer: Mmm.
Amanda: It’s really magical, honestly, like the collaboration involved. I think the first part is just establishing what feels like you. And you really struck a note with when you said being authentic to yourself. I’ve always been a huge believer in that. And I try to talk to my clients about that. I’m like, “There are no rules. You don’t have to like pretend to be this or that or whatever the expectation is in your head. You just have to be true to yourself and what you want to convey is your authentic self. You want to pull in those same authentic people. So why would you try to be someone else?” And I do my very best to like, get people to realize, like what it is that is truly them.
Melissa: I think people see themselves in you, too. They want to say like, “Oh, she can do this. I can do this too.” They want to feel seen and heard and you showing up and saying, “Hey, I’m going to do this for myself. You should do this for yourself.” It’s so much easier for people to see that.
Jennifer: Well, one of the reasons that I’m going to be recommending each of you to professor clients that I work with on strategic website plans in the future. It’s because of that personalized touch that I think that, I don’t know. I don’t know that it’s like all photographers and all makeup artists have probably different processes for starting to work with clients.
I felt like each of you really took time to get to know me, get to know the vision that I had and even asking questions to me that like I never would have thought of. I never would have come up with on my own. And I know that that’s something that professors who are listening to this appreciate because questions really help us get to the next step in our thinking, to the next step in what we want for ourselves.
And if you hadn’t asked me those questions, like I wouldn’t have gotten to the photo shoot part and we had like such a great plan.
What Jennifer’s branding photo shoot was like
Jennifer: So wait, what was that like? We set up a time in advance. So we all, we all had like the same day and Amanda, you actually came to my house.
I was able to get my makeup and hair done in the comfort of my own home where we were also doing the photo shoot, which Melissa came. And then we were all together. Is that right?
Melissa: Yeah, I think that was so cool because, I was photographing you in your office, which you are right now. And one of my favorite things was Amanda saw you were wearing this beautiful orange, I think it was a sweater.
And Amanda saw this little pop of orange in the back. She’s like, we have to have this in the back. So it was almost like she acted like a stylist while she was there, which I loved. And it’s just something I didn’t see that she saw. And, you know, having those two people that do artistic frames, working together and seeing things and helping and she was able to be there while I got to do my job photographing you and looking for the light.
Jennifer: Now, I know we all met via like wedding, right? I got married at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park last June. And it was amazing. It’s so beautiful!
Jennifer: So we met through weddings, but you also you both work with businesses, you work with individuals. Is that right?
Amanda: Definitely. I work with other small businesses. I work with people up and coming, just like getting their business started and also seasoned professionals that have been doing it a long time, but just feel like they want to refresh or, you know, some new life in their brand. So I think it’s very, very fun and very interesting just to get to know what each brand does. And as a fellow business owner, I feel like I can also relate in that way where I know what I would want for my own business and how I want to come across. So I think just having that camaraderie there is also very beneficial.
Melissa: Absolutely. I specifically work with creatives that are looking to up their presence on social media specifically. And I kind of handhold them through the process of showing up on social media authentically, like we were been talking about, but also really getting to spend more time doing what you love, which is usually creating. Creating your product, creating your art, and not having to spend all of your free time with marketing specifically.
Jennifer: Yeah, not having to spend all of your time. That’s interesting. You know, professors are so busy, right? Like they’re teaching classes and doing research and having all these administrative duties. And the thought of the booking process for working with professionals like yourselves, even that feels like, ooh, that’s a big commitment, right? But at the same time, it’s almost like once you take that step, then the rest of the process is facilitated with such ease. You both make it so easy and so intuitive. The next step is always ready.
I’m curious, what is the onboarding process like for you? Let’s say someone who’s listening to this is like, “Wait, I need some new photos for my academic website. I’m curious about booking.” Amanda, do you travel, like, are you open to traveling? I know Melissa is.
Amanda: Definitely. I always travel. I also have my own studio in La Jolla and I don’t share it with anyone else. So if anyone feels like they don’t even have a spot where they feel comfortable or like a nice open space, I’m always happy to offer my space too in La Jolla. It’s really pretty. You can go outside, you can be by the beach, you can have different options for shooting, but I definitely travel. So that’s part of what I do.
I like to make people feel comfortable in their own surroundings too. And I did love working in your office and like, you know, just seeing you in your element with your cats and it just, it added a whole other like, like you said, authenticity to the experience. So I thought that was really-
Jennifer: Yeah. I mean, this is what it’s like to work with me, you know. Like this is what you see. And so I really wanted that to be reflected. And you both did amazing at that. Melissa, you travel all over, like really all over, right? Like I know Amanda travels in California. Are you open to traveling? Are you both international traveling or just US?
Amanda: Everywhere, everywhere.
Melissa: I definitely am. I mostly travel for weddings, but I’m totally open for any sort of photography. Let’s put that out there. But yeah, I love to travel. I love to take my camera and meet new people all over the world. And it’s just so much fun.
Jennifer: Perfect. Okay. So this one, I think everyone should work with you, but obviously that’s not realistic. Not everyone is going to need or want a professional photographer and professional makeup for, and hair for when that photo shoot takes place. So I’m curious, like who are some people or what are some things that would clue people in if like you’re not the right fit? Like maybe you don’t need to work with me or you need to work with someone else.
Amanda: That’s an interesting one because I always feel like not just as a sales pitch, but like genuinely I feel it always helps to have another set of eyes. So if you don’t want to hire someone, maybe just like a trusted confidant. If you really don’t feel comfortable working with someone else, I would have like a very close friend that maybe has some style or could offer some really good tips for you. Just someone on your team that can be like what Melissa was saying earlier about during your shoot. Like I picked up on little things. That’s my job. Like details are a big thing for me. So I’ll notice every little thing in the room. And if I can offer up something with, you know, my background with wardrobe or set styling, I love doing that as just sort of like an extra perk of working with me.
But yeah, I mean, I think it’s always beneficial honestly to have someone else that really understands like how it’s going to photograph, what it looks like, not just you personally, but like the background.
If you really are maybe a control freak or like someone that just doesn’t like to work with others or you have a way you really like doing things your way, definitely get another set of eyes in the room at least and have people like pick up like, is your hair sticking out or is there like some crazy thing sitting on your shoulder that’s going to make you look like you have a growth coming out or something? Like those are really big things that can ruin your shoot.
Melissa: I’m going to take a little bit different spin on your question and let’s say somebody’s listening and they’re like, I would love to hire Melissa and Amanda. I just don’t know if I can afford to fly them both out. That sort of thing.
So maybe if you are looking for someone in your area for photography or makeup and hair, then obviously referrals are going to be your best bet, asking your network if you have any referrals. But I would also have a phone conversation at minimum, FaceTime, in person if you can just to make sure you feel comfortable because I think that feeling comfortable, if you don’t feel comfortable with the person, you’re not going to look comfortable in front of the camera.
So having an initial conversation, getting to know them at least over phone conversation, I know these days were all so busy. It’s hard to meet up in person, but I think that that’s important to get to know them and have that level of trust, going back to the word trust. Having that level of trust with them is really going to put you at ease when it comes to your photo shoot day.
Jennifer: Is that the typical process for each of you? It starts with a phone call or FaceTime or some kind of connection?
Melissa: Typically an email, an intro email like, “Hi, I’m interested in this,” and then I’ll share pricing and then we’ll set up a time. And then I like to ask for examples of what they’re looking for because for me, it can be more lifestyle, which is what we did more with you, Jennifer.
Or it can be more studio, very business, plain background. So I like to get an idea of what they’re looking for. I can do both. But starting a Pinterest board with shots that you like, or if you have a friend photo that you like, sending it that way. I think Amanda’s probably very similar with makeup styles as well. Yeah.
Amanda: I think we have the same-
Melissa: Little bit of the same process.
Amanda: Process, definitely.
Melissa: Yea!
Amanda: We’re both very visual people. So I’ll always ask for photos of what you’re specifically attracted to. But I won’t just ask for the photos. I’ll say, “What do you like about these photos?” And then my recommendation is usually find someone that kind of resembles you. It can be someone famous or not famous. Try not to get something that’s overly photoshopped, just like more of a natural picture and something that really kind of represents, if you like the colors or whatever it is. That’s so helpful for creative people.
Jennifer: I really like that. Our processes are quite similar. I always start with a Zoom call because I actually want to be able to talk with people and see their facial expressions. And really get to answer questions, but also look at screens sometimes at the same time because I’m visual too. I want to see what kind of website you actually like because oftentimes the way people describe things isn’t actually their preference. So being able to see things visually is really helpful for me as well. That’s really interesting.
Visual branding and photo shoots for all genders
Jennifer: Now, both of you work with all genders. Is that correct?
Amanda and Melissa: Correct.
Jennifer: My husband Matthew was really unsure if he should do the professional makeup. I think he was set on professional hair when it came to the wedding, but one thing that we ended up doing was a test. Like a test to see how he felt about the makeup, how it felt on his skin. He never wore makeup for anything before. And so it was really fascinating for my PhD husband to go and sit in this chair and experience really how comfortable it was and how personable it was.
The questions that you asked him while you were doing the makeup, while you were doing the hair helped get the look that he was hoping for. And maybe a look he hadn’t really thought of in advance specifically. You obviously had your conversations about those visual preferences, but even what happens in the moment can really impact us. And so I just loved watching that experience because I was also there for a test right before him and it was just so fun.
I wanted to mention that because if you are a professor who identifies as a man or a woman or are transgender, these are people who are excited to help you get the look that you want for yourself and get a look that’s lasting.
These photographs are so usable in different areas of my life. They’ve been used when I’ve been a podcast guest on another podcast. They’ve been used for articles and publications. They’re on my own website. They’re on my social media. And so I really like how intentional it helps to be with other people about ourselves when it comes to things that will end up in a lot of places. Thank you. Thank you! Thank you for making that experience so good for me.
Matthew Manly Pincus, PhD / Photography by Melissa McClure / Hair and Makeup by Amanda Thorne
Feeling safe and comfortable
Amanda: And thank you for trusting us. Honestly, I mean, that does mean a lot because a lot of people. I always tell my husband, I’m like, I’m actually kind of a therapist in the session sometimes too.
Jennifer: Yeah.
Amanda: And things can come up. Everyone has something with their appearance or something that someone may have said to them in their lifetime, and it still is there. You don’t know what’s going to bubble up.
Jennifer: Yeah.
Amanda: It’s great though because we can sort of like work through it together. And I like to be sort of like a safe space for people. And what you said earlier about Matthew coming in, I thought that was really great that you guys came together for the experience and that men understand that. There used to be a stigma, but I really don’t think that’s the case anymore with men getting hair and makeup. It’s so natural and so normal and anyone can come in and it’s great. Who doesn’t want to see yourself from a different perspective or enhancing what you already are is more like what it is.
Melissa: Yeah. Matthew looked very natural. You can’t pick out that he’s wearing makeup in the wedding photos or the branding photos.
Amanda: I never think it’s fair that women in photos have perfect flawless skin and makeup. And the guys, if they get a sunburn or if they have a pimple, it’s like-
Melissa: Too bad, too bad.
Amanda: They just don’t do anything, but it’s nice to have everyone looking flawless in your pictures.
Melissa: Regardless of gender, everybody wants to look really- It looks
Amanda: Yes,exactly. You hit the nail on the head.
Jennifer: His family was so cute. They were like, “You’re all coiffed.” It’s perfect.
Melissa: Coiffed, I love that. I love that. Oh my gosh.
Sifting through selfies (hundreds of them)
Jennifer: Now, when I think back on that process and I think about the day before the, not the wedding photo shoot, but the branding photo shoot that we did. I am someone… Okay, so I like makeup. I like taking selfies. I like taking photographs. I think I’m pretty good at taking photographs too. And so I actually had thousands of photographs that I had to upload from my phone onto my computer and it was because I was going on a trip. So I did this the day before our photo shoot. I uploaded probably 200 photos of myself into this one folder.
And I was like, “Wow, there’s so many photos of myself. Let me look through them and see if any are usable for my website because I’m going to be doing this redesign, but maybe I could fill things in when it comes to the photo shoot that we’re doing together.”
There was nothing. I mean, not that they were bad photos, but there was nothing that I was proud of and excited to share.
The feeling that I had when I got the photos back and I saw myself. I actually got the photos when I was traveling with some friends. And so we all looked at them together at the same time. It’s the only time I’ve ever done that. Like, looked at photos of myself with other people and they were excited for me, but they were excited because they could feel my personality and who I am through the photos and the makeup and the hair that we did together. It was such a collaborative project.
Tips for makeup and photography: lighting and color
Jennifer: We talked about people who maybe can’t afford to have you both out there, maybe can’t let go of some of their control preferences to let someone else in. And that’s okay. What are your suggestions for people who are going to do it themselves? Who are maybe, “I’ve never done makeup before. I’ve never even taken photographs before.” Do you have anywhere to start that you might recommend?
Melissa: Yeah, I’ll go first. With photography, it all comes down to lighting. Lighting is the most important thing. People think it’s backdrop or anything like that. It’s truly lighting. So if you are going to do a self-photoshoot, set up a selfie station, something like that, I would maybe invest in a little remote that can trigger your phone or use the timer feature. They just added a five second timer. So it’s no longer three and 10 seconds on the iPhone. You can also do five seconds, which is great. And find some good light, find a decently plain backdrop or whatever look you’re going for. Dress in a nice solid color and just experiment with how you look.
The lighting is really going to level up the professional look of the photo. Portrait mode is great on the iPhone. Unfortunately, I don’t know Android’s, I’m talking specifically iPhones, but they have something similar. Just to give you a little more of that depth of field blurred background feel, which also makes it a little more professional. So that would be my two tips. Find some really pretty lighting. Get right in front of a nice big window and practice your smiles and your posing.
Amanda: I also think another thing, I think those are great tips and also the lighting, like Melissa said, is key. But also I feel like really being prepared. So what we would have you do too, like we talked about the Pinterest boards. I’m big on that too. Like come up with a styling board of some sort where you’re kind of putting together a palette.
Start with colors that you like, that you gravitate toward. If you want it monochromatic, do that. If you want to do something colorful, what colors are we doing? Start really like looking at photos that resonate with you and put together a styling board, but condense it and make it. Yeah, you don’t want to be overwhelmed with a million things like, “Oh, I should try this or this.” Don’t do that. You’re just going to drive yourself crazy. Just condense it to a few of your favorites and sort of focus on that. Say, “Okay, I can go buy that sweater. I like that color. These are some colors for my makeup that would look really nice and compliment the background or what I’m wearing.” That sort of thing.
So kind of have an idea of what you’re doing and then be organized about it. If you want several looks, have that ready to go. And then if you’re doing hair and makeup switches, what are those going to be? Have little prompts about what you need to change into or what changes for hair and makeup you might make too. And think about your surroundings too. What does the set look like, “the set”? Your home, or what do you want in the photo? I love crystals, so for me, I would add some of my favorite crystals in the background, something like that. Something that’s personal.
Melissa: Also, when you are going into a photo shoot, whether you’re hiring us, whether you’re hiring someone else, doing it yourself, is knowing where the photos are going to go. So are they going to go on social media? Then most likely, you’ll want to take most of the image in vertical, straight up and down, because that is what social media likes. If it’s for your website, you may need more horizontal images. You may need a hero image for your website where you need to be a little more pulled back because it needs to be longer. Having an idea of exactly what you want so you can frame it in the way is going to make your job so much easier afterwards.
And one more tip. I truly feel that when we get photographed, a lot of times we’re very hard on ourselves, especially when we photograph ourselves. Sometimes you’re like, “Oh, I don’t know if I liked any of those.” Walk away from it for a little bit. Give it an hour, give it 24 hours, and then go back because we have very heightened emotion when we’re taking the photos and like, “Oh, I want this to be perfect. I look good. I don’t look good.” That sort of thing.
We kind of fight with ourselves. Sometimes just removing yourself from the photos for a little bit and then going back to them can be super helpful and just seeing them in a different way.
Working with your photographer on campus
Jennifer: That’s so helpful. Now, one thing to know if you’re a professor who’s wanting to do your photo shoot on campus, and I just know this from working university in the university events office when I was in school, is that oftentimes you may need permission to bring a professional photographer or stylist on campus if the photos are going to be used “commercially.” That is often not the case when you are a student of the school or a faculty of the school or you work there. Or maybe even if you’re an alumni, they may have a special form or process for you to fill out. It is good to check in because part of my job when I was doing that was to make sure that photographers who were on campus that didn’t have that slip did go and file things with the office.
This is mostly for the campus, like to protect things. It’s like a liability concern. They do occasionally need insurance for some situations, often not photography, but I just wanted to make that clear.
If you’re planning to do photos on campus, it’s good to ask or clear it with your supervisor or with whatever office is in charge of photography on campus, just to be sure.
Campus photographers are typically not available for outside photo shoots. If you’re looking for someone local, maybe you can’t bring Amanda and Melissa in, especially if they’re flying maybe across the country or to another country. Just know university photographers often are so busy, they just don’t typically have time to work on your project.
Your campus photographer or media office may have local recommendations though, so it’s worth asking. Just maybe don’t expect them to be able to drop things. Unfortunately, they’re typically really booked up with many different offices on campus needing their support. And, universities don’t usually have makeup and hair artists / stylists. So definitely reach out to Amanda no matter what. And, it’s good to ask for recommendations.
Questions to ask your photographer or makeup artist
Robert L. Pincus, PhD / Photography by Melissa McClure
Jennifer: I’m curious. Both of you mentioned that kind of introductory call. Are there questions you should be sure to ask a professional if you’re thinking about working with you?
Melissa: Yeah, for me, it’s what the packages look like.
Do you get the digital images?
Am I allowed to use these for commercial, for my website, and for potentially making money off of them?
Because there are some tricky copyrights with photography. So just be very clear on, “Hey, I want to use these for my business. This is a branding photo shoot,” and then see where they lie.
Make sure you’re not just paying for the shoot, you’re paying for the images as well all in one.
Also, what the timing looks like. Photographers will know the best time for lighting, and if you go to them and be like, “I have to shoot at noon,” a photographer might be like, “Let’s rework this a little bit.” So deferring to them for lighting and even location. If you want on campus, that’s one thing. But if you want an off-campus location, asking referrals for your photographer is totally, totally . . . we love it.
Amanda: I think some of the big things to maybe consider if you are hiring a stylist are, if the stylist will stay on set with you for the duration of the shoot. Because, like you said, if you’re doing it yourself, you get hyperaware maybe, and you’re focused too much on every little thing. But to have the stylist like I did with you Jennifer, where I can be there as your person in the background, like, “Oh, hang on. We got to move your hair over a little bit,” or, “Nope, nope, nope. We got to move something here or change this.” I can be that person, so you don’t have to be the one worrying about it. Just find out if that service is available, and if they will stay for the duration of the shoot.
Also, keep in mind maybe what kind of products they’re using. Sometimes it’s important for people to have clean products. I try to use cleaner brands. I think that’s important. I wouldn’t want to use anything on someone’s skin that I wouldn’t use on my own, so I would ask about that and what they use, especially if you have allergies that you’re concerned about or anything like that.
Then just basically some ideas about what they can offer in terms of helping you come up with your look.
Melissa: Knowing what you’re going to wear when you’re going into the shoot, because that’ll help us also with location and colors. Amanda, I know that’ll help with makeup tones and everything like that. I love when clients send me ideas for what to wear, and I could be like, “This one is going to photograph really well.”
For some reason, neon colors are popular and neon colors do not photograph well.” I will tell people that. Stay away from the hot thing.
Jennifer wore this gorgeous orange sweater. I brought it up again, but it just popped with her skin tone and everything. It was the perfect, perfect color. If you’re on the fence about what to wear, ask the professionals.
Jennifer: Amanda, when you mentioned – as a stylist, that was something that I actually kind of wish I had chosen for my wedding. When it came to the branding photo shoot, I remember at the time really feeling like it was a splurge. This is something that I’m gifting to myself because I actually think that this team is so great that I can see our synergy working together even better day of.
Now, when it came to the day of, I really was so glad that I had invested in that because I felt more comfortable. It was almost like having an extra—not that Melissa and I have obviously done photographs together and it’s fine, but having another person there helped me feel more comfortable. It actually helped me feel like, “Oh, I can’t let someone else think about these things that maybe I would want to think about. I would probably be looking around the room. Should I move anything? Should I spot anything?” My brain got to relax. My brain got to kind of let go and let Melissa take these amazing photos. She knew where she was going in the office, so it let my brain focus on just being myself.
It was interesting that having more people in the room was better for me because I’m really introverted. I’m a super introverted person who mostly connects with people virtually. It was fascinating that that made it more comfortable for me. I’m so glad that you were both there.
Melissa: We have that rapport. We have that chemistry already because we have worked together a few times now. I think it’s great. Just having a team to support you is going to maybe have the best results.
Amanda: If it’s someone that is an introvert, they could always do a preview. With weddings, we do what’s called a bridal preview where you come in, you try out your look, you see how it feels, you see if you want to tweak anything. If it’s translating from, say, the photo to your own features, that’s a big deal. That’s totally an option too, just to try it out first and see. Then also that makes you have the chance to build rapport with the artist, with the stylist, especially if I’m going to be on set with you. That’s the time we can get to know each other. Then that day, it’s more cas [casual].
Jennifer: Just for everyone who’s listening, trial is typically a paid experience. I just want to mention, even though it’s called a trial, it doesn’t mean that you’re trying out the service. It means that you’re trying things out to see how it feels on your face, to see how your hair is reacting to it. You’re trying it together.
Oh, this is such a good conversation. Is there anything else you want to chat about or add before you wrap up?
Investing in yourself and being authentic online
Melissa: I think that people, I think you mentioned this earlier, Jennifer, but I think people struggle with the, “Is this worth it? Am I worth it? Investing in yourself?” I really think it is. Pictures really convey a message to your audience. Your branding is very, very important and you want to show up as your authentic self. Spending that little bit of extra money is really going to help you level up your website, your social media, that sort of thing. Selfies are great. Self-photos are good too. A mixture of both I think is where the sweet spot is.
Amanda: I completely agree with you and I also wanted to point out, I’ve seen a lot of branding right now with AI and it just strikes me as too slick. I guess it is the word slick and just not authentic, which I guess if you don’t care about that portion of it, you just want a really polished, flawless picture. That’s fine. But if you really do want to connect, I don’t think AI is where it’s at for authentically connecting.
Jennifer: Yeah, and I don’t think that AI is even there yet.
Amanda: Just my thought, it seems like something’s off almost. If I see it, I can’t connect with it. If I see someone and it’s just . . . I don’t get a sense of who they are.
Jennifer: You can tell, you can tell when it’s an AI photo
Amanda: Definitely.
Melissa: I think it’s an easy out and I think easy outs are always not going to be ultimately the long-term option.
Jennifer: Yeah, and I feel like this audience, academics, they are not easy way out people. They have stayed in school doing their research, doing their teaching for so long in order to create oftentimes quite slow changes that make big impact. That is something that you can do for yourself too. That is something that you can do with this gift to yourself.
The way that I think about it is you don’t even need to be on social media or have a website for this kind of service to really benefit you as an academic. There are news articles that your university or your college might want to write about you. There are local appearances in the news or maybe in an academic society organization where they might not need to share your photo, where they might want to have options for what to share. Maybe that kind of stoic traditional headshot that you took for your campus photographer isn’t going to cut it for that use because it doesn’t feel like you. It doesn’t feel like this purpose. You have options and these two amazing people are my favorite options for you. They’re who I’m going to be recommending to my professor clients from now on.
Amanda: Thank you. And don’t forget guys, this is a tax write-off too. [Laughing]
Jennifer: That is so true.
Melissa: That’s the best advice. That’s the best advice I’ve heard.
Amanda: I do my pictures too and I’m like, “I can just write it off. It’s fine.”
Jennifer: Yes, this is helping your career.
Amanda: And I also wanted to point out, so during the shoot, I was the person that was doing behind the scenes content too. So that’s another element that you’re, it’s kind of like a bonus. It’s like if you have a stylist that loves social media like I do, I’m always video, videotaping everything. I like doing reels. So I love sharing that with my clients too. Like, “Oh, I got these behind the scenes footage” or for the photographers too. I’m like,” I got you in action. Here you go.”
Jennifer: So fun.
Amanda: It’s social content for everybody, which everybody needs.
Jennifer: There are so many ways that we can create more authenticity for ourselves, whether it’s through behind the scenes content or even people who have never worn makeup, never had their hair professionally done can still feel more like themselves by working through this together. And so I really appreciate you both coming on the show and sharing your expertise because you are humans that I care about. And I know can help so many people.
Melissa: Thank you Jennifer.
Amanda: Thank you Jennifer, and I just wanted to point out you don’t have to wear a ton of makeup or do something crazy with your hair. It’s just a little bit of an elevation. So if you are a natural person, we can keep it natural. It doesn’t have to be like another level. But it’s just, I kind of feel like I have an eye for how much you need for it to show up properly in photos and what Melissa needs to capture your features, your best features. That’s what I’m there for, to pick up the best parts about you and kind of show the world.
Jennifer: Thank you so much for coming on The Social Academic and for everyone listening. I’m going to have their contact information in the description below so you can get in touch if you’re interested in working with these amazing people.
Amanda Thorne is the owner of Thorne Artistry, an award-winning, inclusive, creative styling company based in San Diego, California, but available worldwide! Thorne Artistry not only offers hair & makeup for weddings, but all special events including family, branding sessions, and editorial shoots.
Thorne Artistry specializes in, and is known for, soft or natural glam that elevates your beauty, while making sure it still looks & feels like you. Thorne Artistry is also known for a focus on clean beauty, and the best products available.
Thorne Artistry’s work has been published nationally & internationally in Rolling Stone, Vogue India, Martha Stewart Weddings, US Weekly, and People magazine. Locally, you can see Amanda’s work grace the covers of Exquisite Weddings, Pacific, and San Diego Style magazine. You may also see her work appear on The Bachelor, Summer House, or other Bravo favorites.
Thorne Artistry has worked with multiple celebrity clients, and appears regularly in well-known wedding publications like Martha Stewart Weddings, Style Me Pretty, The Knot, Magnolia Rouge and many more. Thorne Artistry has consistently won WeddingWire and The Knot Couples’ Choice Awards, was voted Best Hair and Makeup by the San Diego A-List Awards and voted by her peers for Best Hair & Makeup by California Wedding Day magazine.
Born in Ohio, Amanda has always had the travel bug, has visited over 23 countries, and has lived in Australia, Seattle, San Francisco, & currently resides in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego. Her styling career started while studying at the University of Dayton where she produced TV commercials. Amanda is also a former radio DJ, and was the host of Alt949’s Big Sonic Chill.
When Amanda’s not creating beauty, she can be found outdoors with her husband and two kiddos going on lots of road trips, hiking, listening to good music, finding new coffee spots, fun thrift markets, or reading biographies, or a good psychological thriller! Reach out to chat more & reserve your upcoming date.
Melissa McClure | Melissa McClure Creative
Melissa McClure is a wedding and personal branding photographer with 20+ years of experience. She lives in San Diego, California. Melissa is a also a ‘social media goddess’ and coach who helps women entrepreneurs step out of their comfort zone and own their power online.
Melissa McClure is redesigning her photography website. I’ll update this page when her new website is live for you! In the meantime, get in touch through her coaching website.
Want to work with Melissa or Amanda? Yay! I accept no monies or gift when you move forward with them. I share them each with you because they’ve helped me with their expertise and artistry. I trust them to help you too. Thank you!
Last year, FIRE launched the Free Speech Dispatch, a regular series covering new and continuing censorship trends and challenges around the world. Our goal is to help readers better understand the global context of free expression. Want to make sure you don’t miss an update? Sign up for our newsletter.
Return of blasphemy prosecutions feared in the UK
On June 2, four months after West London resident Moussa Kadri attacked Kurdish-Armenian asylum seeker Hamit Coskun for burning a Quran, Westminster Magistrates’ Court found Coskun guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence and fined him £240 ($323).
Coskun ignited a new round of debate over blasphemy in the UK after burning a Quran outside London’s Turkish consulate and yelling “Fuck Islam” and “Islam is a religion of terrorism,” which he has since repeatedly claimed was a protest against “the Islamist government of Erdoğan,” Turkey’s president. In response, Kadri attacked him with a knife, knocked him to the ground, and kicked him while he was down.
But there’s a particularly disturbing element to this case. Namely, the judge’s justification for the conviction. The “disorderly” nature of Coskun’s protest, the judge said, “is no better illustrated than by the fact that it led to serious public disorder involving him being assaulted by two different people.”
That’s right, a man’s violent attack on another was cited as evidence of the victim’s guilt.
The UK was not alone in making blasphemy news in recent weeks. In Bangladesh, a 23-year-old was arrested under the country’s Cyber Security Act for “insulting” the Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. An Iranian court upheld a death sentence on blasphemy charges for the musician Tataloo. And Sweden may be facing yet another Quran burning controversy, but appears to be allowing it to proceed — for now.
Political speech in the crosshairs around the world
Mayor Gilles Platret of French city Chalon-sur-Saone banned display of Palestine’s flag in the city this month as well as “all pro-Palestine demonstrations.”
Hungary delayed a vote on a bill that would allow punishment including bans on organizations judged to “threaten the sovereignty of Hungary by using foreign funding to influence public life.”
Istanbul prosecutors — continuing Turkey’s crusade against imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — banned use of Imamoglu’s image and audio recordings.
Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch threatened to revoke funding to universities where students have held Nakba rallies. “Academia is not a platform for incitement under the guise of freedom of expression,” he wrote.
Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been charged with a terrorism offense by the UK Metropolitan Police for displaying a flag supporting Hezbollah at a concert in London last year.
The lese-majeste case against American academic Paul Chambers, accused of insulting Thailand’s monarchy, has officially been dropped. Chambers will return to the U.S.
Malaysian police are investigating a queer sexual health workshop for “causing disharmony, disunity, or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will, or prejudicing the maintenance of harmony or unity, on grounds of religion.”
Georgian Dream, the ruling party of Georgia, says it’s taking action against “the filthiest phrases and insults” made against its party members from a so-called “externally funded hate speech campaign.”
Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad was arrested for social media posts about India’s tensions with Pakistan, including one about “those who are mindlessly advocating for war.”
Eight year sentence for Brazilian comedian
A São Paulo state criminal court sentenced comedian Leo Lins to a whopping eight years and three months in prison for “practicing” or “inciting” racism and religious prejudice as well as for his comments about disabilities. The charges stemmed from a viral 2022 set in which Lins mocked “Black and Indigenous people, obese people, elderly people, gay people, Jews, northeastern Brazilians, evangelicals, disabled people and those with HIV.”
“When there is a confrontation between the fundamental precept of liberty of expression and the principles of human dignity and judicial equality, the latter should win out,” the judge said of Lins’ sentencing. Lins intends to appeal.
Free press under attack from Saudi Arabia to El Salvador to Samoa
On June 14, Saudi Arabia executed journalist Turki Al-Jasser on treason and terrorism charges. Al-Jasser’s supporters claim the charges were in retaliation for the journalist’s criticism of Saudi royals. The Committee to Protect Journalists says the international community’s failure to act after Jamal Khashoggi’s murder “emboldened de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to continue his persecution of the press.”
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancé Hatice Cengiz looks at his photo as Nihad Awad of CAIR speaks about the murder during a demonstration at the Saudi Embassy, Washington DC, October 2021
Staff of an investigative news outlet in El Salvador, El Faro, fled the country in expectation of criminal charges after reporting that President Nayib Bukele’s party “paid gangs a quarter of a million dollars during his 2014 mayoral race for their help getting him votes in communities they controlled.”
An Argentinian investigative journalist is accusing the country’s intelligence services of approving a plan that would “allow agents to gather intelligence on journalists, economists, academics and other critics of President Javier Milei and his government.” The government denied the allegation “but acknowledged the existence of the document.”
A Kenyan author was arrested after President William Ruto’s daughter accused him of impersonation for writing a book about her without her permission.
Samoan journalist Lagi Keresoma was charged under a criminal defamation law over her article about a former police officer’s legal challenges. Press freedom advocates are pushing for the repeal of the criminal defamation statute, rightfully warning of its limits on journalists’ rights.
London BBC staff are raising the alarm over the Iranian government’s efforts to intimidate them within the UK, citing a “sharp and deeply troubling escalation” in Iran’s years-long campaign against them. Metropolitan Police said at least 20 people in London have been the target of violence and threats by Iran in recent years.
The latest news in tech: Porn, bans, and Telegram
Six of Brazil’s 11 Supreme Court justices voted in favor of holding tech companies responsible for “illegal” third party content posted to their platforms but specifics on the enforcement and other details are still forthcoming. “We must, as a court, move in the direction of freedom with responsibility and regulated freedom, which is the only true freedom,” one judge said.
President Emmanuel Macron has committed to banning social media for children under 15, citing a recent murder in the country. “Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let’s do it,” he said.
And Pornhub warned it will no longer be available in France over recent age verification legislation.
Porn is a focus of government action in Tanzania, too. Information minister Jerry Silaa announced a block on the platform X over the presence of porn on the site, material he said is contrary to Tanzania’s “laws, culture, customs, and traditions.”
Vietnam ordered a block on Telegram, citing “anti-state” material available on the app and legal authority prohibiting “taking advantage of telecommunications activities to oppose the state.”
Transparency reports show that in the early months of 2025, Telegram handed law enforcement data on 22,777 users, a major jump from previous disclosures.
China’s censorship looks to the past — and abroad
Unsurprisingly, the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre brought another wave of censorship in Hong Kong, which in previous years was home to mass demonstrations commemorating the date. But now even silent protests are criminalized, and self-censorship has soared. Police made some arrests, including “a man holding an electric candle, a man standing silently in the rain, and two women, including a girl holding flowers and dressed in a school uniform.”
Censorship of the Tiananmen anniversary is widespread online, too. Media outlet ABC obtained authorities’ 230-page Tiananmen censorship guide “used by frontline content censors to train artificial intelligence tools to moderate vast amounts of content.” A similar memo warned, “Delete first. Review later.”
A candlelight vigil outside the Chinese consulate general in Los Angeles to mark the 36th anniversary of the crackdown on the pro-democracy protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, June 2025
Amidst the censorship surrounding June 4, other national security-related threats emerged in Hong Kong. Joshua Wong, a pro-democracy activist already serving a nearly five-year prison sentence, was hit with new charges — while beyond bars. This month, he was charged with “conspiring to collude with foreign forces” for allegedly encouraging other nations to impose sanctions on Hong Kong in 2020. And the city’s police are warning residents that they too may face national security charges if they download “secessionist” mobile game Reversed Front: Bonfire, which allows users to play as targeted groups rising against the Chinese Communist Party. Even just recommending the game could qualify as “incitement to secession.”
Censorship of disfavored political speech isn’t just a problem within China and Hong Kong — critics of the Chinese government face repression on a global scale. At Book World Prague, a Czech book fair, Chinese officials unsuccessfully pressured organizers to remove the Taiwanese flag from a publisher’s booth as well as censor a catalog that mentioned involvement by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. And here in the United States, two men, one from China and the other from the UK, are accused of stalking a U.S.-based man in an effort to prevent him from protesting Xi Jinping’s 2023 visit to California.
Today’s prospective students aren’t waiting for a glossy brochure to arrive in the mail. They’re researching schools on their phones between classes, watching campus tours on YouTube, and chatting with peers online to compare experiences. They’re digital-first and impatient, and expect the same seamless experience from a college as they would from Netflix or Amazon.
To stand out in this noisy, fast-moving environment, your enrollment marketing needs to work smarter. That means shifting away from static promotions and embracing data-driven, student-centric strategies that guide each prospect from curiosity to commitment.
Here’s how you can make that happen: 10 tactics that schools across North America (and beyond) are using to win the attention, trust, and enrollment of today’s students.
Struggling with enrollment?
Our expert digital marketing services can help you attract and enroll more students!
1. Understand Your Audience (Better Than They Expect)
The best enrollment marketing strategies begin with deep audience insight. Not the surface-level kind (like age ranges or postal codes), but real, behavior-based understanding.
Instead of just collecting names at events or counting clicks on a landing page, take the time to analyze what your audience is doing. Are they spending five minutes reading your nursing program page but bouncing quickly from your homepage? Is there a spike in traffic after you post student testimonials on Instagram? These are the clues that shape smart decisions.
Tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or Slate reveal exactly where prospects engage and where they drop off. Segmenting audiences based on their actions, rather than assumptions, lets you personalize outreach that feels meaningful. If a student explores your hospitality program at 11:00 p.m. from another time zone, your strategy should reflect that interest and context.
Personalization builds a connection. And connection drives conversion.
Example: Oregon State University implemented a modern CRM (Slate) to segment and personalize outreach. OSU filters prospective students by interests, major, and location to trigger automated, tailored communications (email, text, print) for each segment. With this approach, Oregon State University ensures that prospects receive information relevant to them. For example, engineering-minded students get content on OSU’s tech programs, improving engagement and application conversion.
2. Turn Your Website Into a Top-Performing Recruiter
Think of your website as your lead admissions counselor. It works 24/7 and never forgets a prospect’s name, if it’s built right.
A compelling site doesn’t just list programs. It creates an experience. Navigation should be intuitive, especially on mobile, where the majority of users browse. Application deadlines should never be more than one click away. Program benefits should be clear, outcomes measurable, and support services obvious.
Equally important is online visibility. Students won’t land on your site if it isn’t optimized for search. That means including the phrases they’re typing into Google: “Best business diploma in Vancouver” or “Top graphic design college Canada.” A steady stream of blog content around these themes builds your authority and search rankings over time.
Don’t underestimate local search either. Schools that claim their Google Business listing and keep it updated with reviews, photos, and FAQs tend to show up higher in local results, right when families are deciding which campuses to visit.
Example: ENSR partnered with HEM to revamp its website for better usability and search visibility. Targeted SEO optimizations (including multilingual content and Google Ads campaigns) were implemented to attract more qualified traffic. ENSR also improved site speed and navigation. As a result, the school saw a 10% year-over-year increase in admissions, clear evidence that an optimized, easy-to-find website translates into more student enrollments.
How can schools use SEO to reach more prospective students? Schools can use SEO by optimizing their website and content with keywords students search for, like program names or “colleges near me.” Creating informative blog posts, improving site speed, and using clear navigation help boost search rankings, making it easier for prospects to find and explore the school online.
3. Meet Students Where They Scroll
Social media is no longer just a promotional tool; it’s where brand trust is built. And guess what? Students don’t want picture-perfect posts. They want a glimpse into real student life: the awkward, the inspiring, and everything in between.
How do social media platforms help attract prospective students? Social media platforms help attract prospective students by showcasing authentic campus life, student stories, and academic highlights where students already spend time. Targeted ads and engaging content build awareness, answer questions, and create emotional connections that encourage students to explore programs and take the next step toward applying.
The most effective schools blend behind-the-scenes campus life, student takeovers, and authentic voices with strategic, paid campaigns. Engagement is key. Answer comments, reply to DMs, and ask questions. Your presence shouldn’t just be felt; it should be responsive.
And when a student visits your site but doesn’t apply? A retargeting ad reminding them about a scholarship deadline can bring them back with a purpose.
Example: Randolph-Macon Academy utilizes student-driven social media takeovers and campaigns to humanize its brand. For example, on “Takeover Tuesdays,” R-MA students run the school’s Instagram Stories, giving followers a genuine day-in-the-life look at campus life. These peer perspectives resonate with prospective students and parents. R-MA also shares posts on LinkedIn celebrating achievements (like its seniors earning $16 million+ in scholarships) to boost credibility. By strategically targeting content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, R-MA expands its reach and builds trust with specific audiences.
Campus visits are powerful but not always possible. Virtual tours bridge that gap beautifully when done right.
Why are virtual tours important for school admissions marketing? Virtual tours are important because they let prospective students explore campus facilities, culture, and student life from anywhere. They provide a first-hand experience that builds familiarity and trust, especially for international or remote students who can’t visit in person, helping them feel more confident about applying.
The most compelling virtual experiences go beyond slideshows or still images. They immerse visitors in 360° visuals of your labs, residences, lounges, and dining halls. Add narration, clickable maps, and interactive hotspots to create a sense of discovery.
Want to make it even more engaging? Offer live tours hosted by current students. Answer questions in real-time. Make the conversation two-way. This kind of hybrid interaction not only informs, but it also builds comfort and connection.
Gamifying the experience with small touches like hidden easter eggs or quizzes can boost session time, making students stay longer and remember more.
Example: Eastern New Mexico University: In January 2025, ENMU launched an upgraded 360-degree interactive virtual tour of its campus, in partnership with a virtual tour platform. The tour lets prospective students anywhere in the world explore campus landmarks at their own pace with panoramic views and clickable info points. New interactive stops even feature current students sharing their experiences via video, and users can access photos and descriptions of traditions at each location. This immersive virtual experience makes viewers feel “like they are on campus,” even if they cannot visit in person.
Nothing conveys emotion, trust, and energy quite like video. That’s why it’s the top-performing format across all platforms.
Students use video to explore, compare, and decide. A 30-second clip showing campus energy can hook them, while a three-minute video of a student explaining why they chose your school can tip the scales.
The best videos aren’t always the most polished. Often, it’s the realness that lands, the quiet moment in a dorm room, a laugh during class, a genuine answer about overcoming a challenge. When current students tell their story on camera, it resonates far more than scripted promos ever could.
And don’t stop with publishing. Upload to YouTube (the second largest search engine in the world), share snippets on social media, and embed videos in your emails or on your site. It keeps your message moving, even when you’re not.
Example: The Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences regularly produces short videos featuring student success stories and hands-on training highlights. These testimonials and “day in the life” videos are shared on AAPS’s website and social channels, providing an authentic glimpse into student outcomes. AAPS also posts video content of alumni in their new careers or students in lab classes, which personalizes the school’s message.
6. Be There Instantly with Smart Chatbots
Picture this: a student is exploring your program page at 10:45 p.m. They want to know if scholarships are still open, but your office is closed.
This is where chatbots shine. When used effectively, they answer FAQs, guide students to relevant pages, and even collect lead info for follow-up, all in real time.
Today’s best bots go beyond text. They can speak multiple languages, schedule tours, and connect students with human counselors. They’re not a replacement for your staff. They’re the frontline, making sure no interest goes cold.
Example: The University of Illinois Gies College of Business deployed an AI chatbot named “Alma” on its online MBA program website to handle common questions and nurture leads. The chatbot was built with a no-code AI platform and programmed to answer prospective students’ free-text questions about the program, provide key information (e.g., deadlines, curriculum), and even collect contact info for follow-up.
Your school can say it’s great. But it means more when others say it for you.
Prospective students read reviews before making decisions. That’s true whether they’re buying shoes or choosing a college. A few well-placed, authentic reviews from happy students or parents can tip the scale in your favor.
Example: Rosseau Lake College actively highlights student and parent testimonials on its official site to manage its online reputation. RLC’s admissions section features a dedicated “Student Testimonials” page with quotes, stories, and even videos from current students and recent graduates.
Make it easy for your community to share their voice. Follow up after tours or events with a simple request for feedback. Prompt graduating students to reflect on their journey. And most importantly, respond graciously to both praise and criticism.
Highlight these testimonials in your marketing materials, emails, and website. Some schools even have dedicated pages that feature alumni quotes, rankings, and outcomes all in one place.
Example: Discovery Community College leverages Google reviews and social media to boost its reputation. When the college receives a glowing review online, the marketing team amplifies it; for instance, Discovery CC shared a student’s 5-star Google review on Instagram with a thank-you message.
When you let your results speak for themselves, people listen.
8. Nurture With Purpose: Email and Text Messaging
Email isn’t outdated. It’s just misused.
Too often, schools blast the same generic message to every lead. But with marketing automation tools like HubSpot or Slate, you can do better. Much better.
Send personalized messages based on actual behavior. If someone downloaded a course calendar, send a follow-up series about faculty highlights, career paths, or student testimonials from that program. If a student clicked a scholarship link but didn’t apply, follow up with a helpful guide or checklist.
Text messages are the perfect complement: fast, direct, and effective. Use them for urgent nudges like deadline reminders or event RSVPs. But be respectful. Less is more when it comes to texting.
9. Host Webinars That Educate and Inspire
Done right, webinars are student recruitment gold. They let students interact with faculty, hear from alumni, and ask real questions, all from the comfort of home.
Think beyond the program overview. What are students anxious about? Admissions essays? Career prospects? Financial aid? Offer sessions that solve these problems, not just sell solutions.
Example: The University of North Texas runs themed Admissions Webinars for targeted audiences of students who haven’t yet applied. UNT invites high schoolers to sign up for sessions like “Why UNT? & How to Apply,” where recruiters walk through programs, campus life, and the application process via Zoom.
Live Q&As make these events feel dynamic. A student asking a question and getting an answer in the moment, that’s engagement. That’s trust.
Example: Randolph-Macon Academy hosts regular live webinars for prospective families as part of its recruitment strategy. During these virtual info sessions, R-MA’s admissions counselors present an overview of the school, share up-to-date facts, and then open the floor for Q&A. They often incorporate a live virtual campus tour within the webinar. This format has been effective in converting attendees to applicants – families get to interact directly with staff and students from home, addressing any doubts in real time.
And once the event ends, the content lives on. Recordings become lead magnets. Clips fuel your social strategy. Recaps can power blog posts. Every webinar is a long-term asset when you plan it right.
10. Showcase What Comes After: Alumni Success
Prospective students are investing time and money. What they want to know is simple: “Will it pay off?”
Highlighting alumni outcomes is one of the most persuasive things you can do. Share job placement rates, grad school acceptances, average salaries, whatever metrics tell the story of success.
Even more powerful are personal stories. The alum who launched a startup. The student who landed a dream internship. The graduate who returned to school to mentor others. These aren’t just achievements, they’re proof points.
Example: Randolph-Macon Academy publicizes its alumni and student success outcomes as a core part of marketing. R-MA’s communications showcase statistics like 100% college acceptance and millions in scholarships earned by each graduating class. In 2025, R-MA proudly shared that its 69 seniors collectively secured over $10.5 million in scholarships for college. Alumni success stories (military academy appointments, leadership roles, etc.) are featured on the school blog and newsletters.
Some schools use interactive alumni maps to show where grads are working across the globe. Others run weekly spotlight stories on social or newsletters. However you do it, make sure it’s easy for prospects to imagine their own future in the successes of those who came before.
When you say, “Here’s where our grads go, and here’s how we help them get there,” the value of your school becomes real.
Enrollment Marketing Is Not About Tactics. It’s About Trust.
Each of these enrollment strategies works on its own. But when you combine them into a cohesive enrollment plan, powered by data and driven by empathy, you don’t just generate interest. You build relationships.
From a student’s first Google search to their final enrollment decision, every interaction matters. So make them count. Use tools like CRMs to track engagement. Align marketing with admissions. And most importantly, keep the student experience at the center of it all.
Because in today’s world, enrollment isn’t about volume. It’s about value. Give your prospects content that answers questions, support that feels personal, and stories that inspire. Do that, and the results will follow.
Need help building your enrollment marketing plan?
HEM offers expert services tailored to higher education institutions across Canada and beyond.Contact us today to learn more.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How do social media platforms help attract prospective students?
Answer: Social media platforms help attract prospective students by showcasing authentic campus life, student stories, and academic highlights where students already spend time. Targeted ads and engaging content build awareness, answer questions, and create emotional connections that encourage students to explore programs and take the next step toward applying.
Question: Why are virtual tours important for school admissions marketing?
Answer: Virtual tours are important because they let prospective students explore campus facilities, culture, and student life from anywhere. They provide a first-hand experience that builds familiarity and trust, especially for international or remote students who can’t visit in person, helping them feel more confident about applying.
Question: How can schools use SEO to reach more prospective students?
Answer: Schools can use SEO by optimizing their website and content with keywords students search for, like program names or “colleges near me.” Creating informative blog posts, improving site speed, and using clear navigation help boost search rankings, making it easier for prospects to find and explore the school online.
I’m sitting quietly this morning, reflecting in the final minutes before my interview with Jim Lang. Our conversation will focus on his latest book, Write Like You Teach. In the book, Jim suggests that we ought to be good company in our writing. He has embodied this guidance since I first met him more than a decade ago.
Jim has been good company through his many books as I’ve yearned to be gentle with myself, resisting the urge to reinvent each class I teach with every new semester (Small Teaching). He’s helped me wrestle with what it might look like to ignite students’ imaginations rather than control their behaviors (Distracted). He transformed the way I think about academic integrity, encouraging me to focus on fostering intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy while cultivating the conditions in which mastery and deep learning can thrive (Cheating Lessons).
In the meantime, the gardens need tending. If you continue to believe in the value of the plants that have always flourished in your garden, keep growing them.
In Jim’s eighth appearance on Teaching in Higher Ed, I have no doubt he will once again be good company. I’m thankful for all the ways he has shaped my teaching, my learning, and this podcast over the years.
For students planning for future careers in nutrition counseling, the ability to understand complex nutritional concepts is essential to their success. In these roles, they’ll need to help clients understand important information about their health, address their nutritional needs and demonstrate the benefits of behavior change.
But before they get there, students must tackle complicated course topics. That’s where MindTap for the new fifth edition of Bauer/Liou’s “Nutrition Counseling and Education Skill Development” comes in. The Learning Path is packed with 14 dynamic Video Quizzes that bring real-world counselor-client exchanges to life.
These videos are a game-changer for students looking to explore what it’s like inside the counseling practice and apply what they learn. Let’s take a closer look.
Enhanced understanding through visual learning
Imagine trying to understand someone’s hesitation to change, tone or personal insecurities just through text — needless to say, it’s not easy. Our counseling videos let students see a nutrition counselor in action. Concepts become easier to grasp when students can watch authentic responses to common problems. And by seeing and hearing actual clients, students can better understand the common hesitancies that arise when it comes to dietary and lifestyle change.
These videos don’t just stick to theory. They bring real-life scenarios and case studies right into the classroom, whether you’re teaching online or in-person. Students watch the videos as part of a Video Quiz assignment in MindTap, giving them the opportunity to instantly apply what they’ve learned. The videos provide students with a realistic glimpse into situations they’ll likely encounter in their careers, including:
Communication essentials
Frameworks to understanding behavioral change
Developing a nutrition care plan
Facilitating client self-management
Watching how nutrition counseling is applied in various contexts helps students see the relevance of their studies and prepares them for real-world applications. Educators can also use the video content to inspire conversations in the Learning Management System discussion board for further engagement and active participation.
Guided counseling experience with author Carolyn Williams
Leading the video content in the role of the counselor is Cengage author and culinary nutrition expert, Carolyn Williams, Ph.D., RDN. Carolyn exposes students to various viewpoints and perspectives on the types of issues a nutrition counselor might encounter. As students engage with the topics, they’ll develop the skills needed to help clients make behavior changes last and engage in physical activity. Plus, these videos will demonstrate ways to communicate efficiently and empathetically with different types of clients, facilitate groups and develop professionalism.
Skill development
Educational nutrition counseling videos do more than drive home the facts. They’re about developing essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving and communication. By analyzing the techniques and strategies used by professionals in these videos, students can learn how to handle similar situations in their practice. In one example, students are given a lifestyle management form with a dietary evaluation. This provides the counselor with a snapshot of a client’s usual food intake and eating habits, as well as lifestyle factors that may impact their food intake. The counselor then guides the client through a 24-hour diet/lifestyle recall.
Our counseling videos in offer a look into authentic counseling experiences in the field. From enhancing understanding and engagement to providing real-world applications and different perspectives in the nutrition field, the videos can help you prepare your students for career success.
American higher education is under pressure from within and without—squeezed by financial strain, declining enrollment, political hostility, and technological disruption. But the greatest challenge may be coming from a group of powerful outsiders—figures with deep influence in politics, technology, and media—who are actively reshaping how education is perceived, delivered, and valued. Among them: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, Alex Karp, and Charlie Kirk. Each brings a different ideology and strategy, but their combined influence represents an existential threat to traditional colleges and universities.
Donald Trump’s second rise to power has included a full-spectrum attack on elite and public institutions of higher learning. From threats to strip funding from schools that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, to freezing billions in research grants at elite institutions like Harvard, Trump has positioned universities as enemies in a broader cultural and political war. His proposed education policy emphasizes trade schools and short-term credentials over liberal arts and research, while his administration has floated revoking accreditation from institutions that resist his agenda. Rather than investing in public education, the Trump agenda calls for punishment, privatization, and obedience. And for institutions that don’t comply, there are growing threats of taxation, defunding, and public humiliation.
Elon Musk is undermining higher education in a different way. Musk has openly mocked the need for college degrees, suggesting that “you can learn anything online for free.” While that’s partly rhetoric, it’s also a blueprint for disruption. His experimental school Astra Nova already offers a glimpse into a post-institutional future—one that favors creative, independent thinking over traditional credentialing. Now, with plans to launch the Texas Institute of Technology & Science, Musk is betting that elite training can happen outside the bounds of accreditation and federal oversight. Musk’s future is technocratic and libertarian, with universities seen as bloated, slow-moving, and culturally out of touch.
Peter Thiel’s vision is even more radical. Thiel has compared American higher education to the Catholic Church before the Reformation—rich, corrupt, and intellectually bankrupt. His Thiel Fellowship pays young people to skip college entirely, offering $100,000 to start companies instead of accumulating debt. He argues that universities reward conformity and delay adulthood. For Thiel, colleges don’t just fail to prepare students—they actively mislead them. His endgame is a decentralized, market-driven system in which talent rises through initiative and capital, not credentials.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, presents yet another threat—this time from artificial intelligence. Altman doesn’t reject learning, but he does question the institutions that monopolize it. With tools like ChatGPT and future AI tutors, Altman envisions personalized, real-time learning for everyone, everywhere. In this model, universities risk becoming obsolete—not because they are wrong, but because they are too slow and too expensive. Altman has also pushed universities to take a more active role in shaping AI policy; if they don’t, the tech industry will do it for them. The message is clear: adapt or be replaced.
Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, is building a new kind of corporate university. Through programs like the Palantir Meritocracy Fellowship and “Semester at Palantir,” Karp is recruiting students directly out of elite schools—particularly those disillusioned by what he sees as anti-Israel sentiment or campus censorship. These programs offer practical, high-paid experience that bypasses traditional academic pathways. Karp’s vision doesn’t require the elimination of universities—it just renders them unnecessary for the most competitive jobs in tech and intelligence. His model suggests a future in which corporations, not universities, decide who is qualified.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, has weaponized the culture war to delegitimize higher education entirely. Kirk’s brand of activism portrays universities as corrupt, anti-American indoctrination centers. Through social media campaigns, donor networks, and student chapters, he has built an infrastructure of resistance against academic institutions. His goal isn’t reform—it’s replacement. Through efforts like the Freedom College Alliance, Kirk is helping to build a parallel educational system rooted in conservative Christian values, classical curricula, and ideological purity. In Kirk’s world, higher education isn’t broken—it’s the enemy.
Together, these six men are shaping a new, fragmented future for American education. Some want to burn it down. Some want to replace it. Some want to privatize it or profit from its collapse. What they share is a conviction that traditional universities no longer serve their intended purpose—and that a new model, rooted in tech, politics, or religion, must take its place.
This isn’t a theoretical debate. Universities are already responding—cutting liberal arts programs, racing to implement AI tools, rebranding themselves as career accelerators, and seeking favor with donors who increasingly resemble these disruptive outsiders. For those who resist, the future may include not just funding cuts, but political investigations, lawsuits, and public smear campaigns.
Higher education faces a stark choice. It can double down on its public mission—defending critical thinking, civic engagement, and social mobility—or it can retreat into elite credentialing and survival mode. What it cannot do is ignore the forces gathering at its gates. These forces are rich, powerful, ideologically driven—and they are not waiting for permission to remake the system.
As colleges across the country cut staff, implement hiring freezes and slash budgets, fewer people could see higher education as a long-term career path, according to Kevin McClure, a professor of higher education and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
In a recent episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed’s news and analysis podcast, McClure told IHE editor in chief Sara Custer that in the current environment, demoralization is high among faculty and staff. “It’s just really difficult to do good work. There’s a significant amount of uncertainty, there is stress, there is trauma that people are still living through from COVID and the great resignation … and there is no doubt that the workforce in higher education is struggling,” he said.
“It’s not the case that across the board every institution is in this scenario …but every single institution is being cautious right now, and there is enough uncertainty and enough question about multiple revenue streams coming into institutions that there are cascading effects for working conditions.”
McClure said he’s concerned institutions are not doing a good enough job of articulating their values. This, he said, is what colleges should “double down” on to combat the demoralization he’s observed in current employees and to show future talent “what they’re all about.”
“In the current environment, I think we have seen some backsliding, some backtracking, some revisions of our websites—all of these signposts suggesting to people who work here that the things we stand for are actually maybe flexible and can be modified as the political winds blow.”
