HAYS, Kan. -- Fort Hays State University's new social networking program, TigerConnect, which launched in April 2009, has proven to be a success for new FHSU students. The program was created by Education Dynamics and is designed to connect first-year FHSU students.

As of January 2010, over 1,000 new student accounts have been created.

"With over 33 percent of our new students registering for the program, we have been excited about the program's success," said Shana Meyer, assistant vice president for student affairs. " We will continue to promote the program, host new contests and spread the word to next year's class of new students with hopes to see even a higher percentage."

The first students exposed to the program were the first-year freshmen, transfer and virtual students for the 2009-2010 academic year. Those students were asked to create a profile during their pre-enrollment process. By creating an online profile, students may virtually meet other students and get to know whom they may meet over the next four years.

"We felt like TigerConnect would be a great way to build a community for our newest students before they ever set foot on campus," said Meyer. "The site has great potential for students to make new friends, ease their transition to campus, and get their questions answered before their first class occurs. If the student feels more comfortable coming to college, it is our hope that he or she will have a better chance of succeeding."

TigerConnect allows students to create a personal profile, participate in discussions and groups, create goals for themselves, and build "favorites" pages. Students can keep track of university events located on the events calendar, and over 150 articles geared towards surviving the first year of college are posted on the site.

Education Dynamics held a contest in the fall '09 semester called UFindIt, where TigerConnect's registration was increased by 150 students and the winner was awarded a $200 American Express gift card. The second contest, Race-2-Rise, is a six-week contest that began on Feb. 8 and will end March 14. The winner will be awarded a $150 American Express gift card.

Log onto http://tigerconnect.fhsu.edu to learn more about the site and its contests, or contact Kaley Klaus, FHSU's TigerConnect intern at (785)628-5824.

To sign on to the "TigerDemo" account, use the username: fye@fhsu.edu and the password: forthays. For information about the program, contact Education Dynamics at (201)337-3300 or visit its Web site, www.goalquest.com.