Ohio University honored for its work building community with prospective students

Ohio University was recently recognized as a recipient of the ZeeMee Trailblazer Award.

The award recognizes college and university partners who go above and beyond to build community with prospective students on ZeeMee, a social media platform for students navigating the college search process. 

Ohio University Enrollment Marketing and Operations, a unit within the Division of Enrollment Management, launched its ZeeMee community in fall 2023, inviting prospective students to Athens and all five regional campuses to connect. Current OHIO students, known as student influencers, answer prospective students' questions and post about their own experiences, both in and out of the classroom. 

"Each year this award goes to a select few partners who go above and beyond," said Chris Fait, senior vice president of partner success at ZeeMee. "The OHIO team does an amazing job of including ZeeMee in all facets of their admissions outreach."

Fait cited the creativity and intentionality of the team behind ZeeMee at OHIO.

Kenna Reynolds Warren, assistant director of communication in Enrollment Marketing and Operations, provides leadership for the community. In addition to coordinating the work of student influencers, Warren plans monthly live events for prospective students, communicates about upcoming deadlines and processes, and partners with staff from several campus offices who moderate a channel where students can ask questions of them.

“Using ZeeMee, future Bobcats are finding community in a world where it’s increasingly hard to connect, helping them build meaningful connections with one another and the OHIO community,” said Warren. 

“This recognition reflects the creativity and care our team brings to connecting prospective students with Ohio University,” said Katie Troyer, executive director of enrollment marketing and operations. “Kenna, campus partners, and our student influencers have created welcoming opportunities for future Bobcats to ask questions, hear directly from current students and get a firsthand sense of the OHIO experience."

In the most recent recruitment cycle for students who enrolled in fall 2026, nearly one out of every two incoming Bobcats were on the ZeeMee platform. 

"The team is so creative and intentional in creating spaces for students of all backgrounds. One that stood out in this past cycle was a fun live event for out-of-state students," said Fait.