Rachel Reuben, the new vice president of marketing and communication at Ithaca College, is no stranger to social networking sites. Ruben, who earned an MBA in marketing and management from SUNY–New Paltz in 2009, has an active Twitter account and blogs regularly. The 30-year-old hopes to bring fresh ideas to the table as she workes to create a new identity for the college.

By taking a holistic approach to the current communications strategy, Reuben plans to utilize social networking sites that are not currently a part of the college’s marketing program. On top of developing the strategy, Reuben will also be in charge of implementing and evaluating new programs.

Contributing Writer Kate Calleri spoke with Reuben about her new job, goals, Twitter and the college’s new online identity.

Kate Calleri: What brought you to the college?

Rachel Reuben: I was already very familiar with Ithaca College. I was doing a lot of networking with those folks. I saw this position posted in January, and it is just exactly what I was looking for.  I was looking for a challenge.

KC: What is your background in media?

RR: I was at SUNY–New Paltz for 13 years. I was the director of communication there. My background involved primarily website [work], but [it] also related to mobile, social media, media relations, crisis communications, recruiting initiatives and online initiatives.

KC: Do you plan on using social networking sites for the benefit of the college?

RR: What I am looking at for the college is how much effort we should be putting into our Twitter account, Facebook page and Foursquare. We are going to do some informal polling, focus groups and surveys to try and gather information. We are considering building a mobile site as well.

KC: The college has its own social networking site, MyHome. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a site that is campus specific?

RR: MyHome offers incredible opportunities that aren’t tapped into, which is one of my unofficial goals going into this academic year — to help spread the word and communicate the things that are in MyHome for students in terms of community building.

Check this Thursday’s issue of The Ithacan for the full interview with Reuben.