The students, faculty, staff and community residents of Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in Wisconsin know all about their president, Anthony Cruz.
They know he loves pickleball. He likes to eat out. He recently got a new pair of Adidas sneakers. He and his wife visited the Milwaukee Zoo. He proudly displays a sizable collection of coffee mugs from across the country in his office.
They also know all about MATC: They know about the 180 programs in seven academic and career pathways, the abundant student resources, the campus events, the well-prepared graduates, the successful alumni and the generous donors.
That’s because Cruz — who became MATC’s 11th president in July 2024 — frequently, fervently and unapologetically posts on social media, mostly Instagram and LinkedIn. He snaps selfies after college events, smiling with students, employees and community partners. He shares reflections and meditations about life. He enthusiastically responds to students and graduates who trumpet their achievements on their own social media accounts.
This article is part of a monthly series provided by the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR), an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges.
“If our visibility is greater, if our enrollment is higher, and if our community has more awareness about us, I don’t believe there’s any reason to change the frequency of my posts,” he says. “You can’t post too much if you post about things that matter. This is an important piece of what I do.”
The benefits
Social media is about communication and promotion, Cruz says. Through LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X, the college can:
- Reach students and tell them about the support the college offers so they can engage, succeed, stay in school and graduate.
- Inform the community of the college’s great work.
- Market and brand MATC locally, regionally and nationally.
- Create a sense of belonging and unity for students, faculty and staff.
Perhaps most importantly, social media also allows the community to see the personal side of the president.
“These posts show a different side of me,” Cruz says. “But you need to be vulnerable. You take a risk of putting yourself out there because this is an extension of yourself.”
Evolving from social media observer
Decades ago, Cruz didn’t think about social media much. Before coming to MATC, he served as a vice chancellor, vice president and dean at several community colleges and universities for nearly 30 years. In 2019, he became a campus president at Miami Dade College (MDC) in Florida. During most of that time, he was a social media observer. At MDC, he had a LinkedIn account, but he said he couldn’t recall posting anything.
Then came the Covid pandemic. With no students on his campus, Cruz started recording short videos to keep students, faculty and staff informed and engaged. He began recording short talks on Microsoft Teams and posting them on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Then he produced a podcast.
“The urgency to maintain clear and effective communication with students, faculty and staff became paramount,” Cruz says. “I saw what social media could do.”
And the more he posted and shared, the more comfortable he became with the platforms.
“I also saw it was making an impact,” he adds. “People in the community, students and colleagues would tell me they liked it. I think it made me personally, and us as a college, more relatable and accessible.”
When students returned to in-person classes, Cruz kept posting. He realized many students were using Instagram, so he focused on that platform and decided to use one account, @dr.anthony_cruz, instead of keeping both personal and professional accounts.
“It became superorganic,” he says. “If I got a good reaction, I kept going. Social media opened up a whole new world to me and inspired me, motivated me and informed me.”
He also has learned that posting on social media doesn’t take a lot of time, just some thought and organization. He schedules many of his posts in the evening for the next day. He always has his phone ready at events.
He tries to stay away from polarizing political content; he doesn’t endorse candidates or get involved in campaigns. But, he says, “I will advocate for things I think are important and in line with what our students need.”
Encouraging others
Cruz’s extensive social media presence marked a change for MATC. He was the college’s first president to personally use social media to communicate directly with students and employees.
During his first year at the college, he has encouraged college leaders to be active on social media, but he understands that some people aren’t as comfortable with the platforms as he has become. Still, he fully believes in the positive impact of social media messaging.
“The power of these platforms is tremendous,” Cruz says. “It can build personal and institutional brands, and forge valuable relationships with people from all over. It lets us show ourselves to the world.”
He adds: “It’s about sharing our story with a broader audience. We’re doing such great work. Now we need to tell people about it.”
