Emporia ? The newly appointed president of Emporia State University says persistence and shrewd use of social media helped raise enrollment at his former school.

Michael Shonrock was involved in a marketing and recruitment project at Texas Tech as the senior vice president for auxiliary services. The Emporia Gazette reports that what was expected to take five years to accomplish began having an effect in six months. Within three years, Texas Tech had record growth in enrollment.

Shonrock says the team developed its own technology to streamline the application and enrollment process. He says that social media also proved to be critical in reaching students and marketing to prospective students.

The Kansas Board of Regents announced Shonrock’s hiring last week. He starts his new job at Emporia State on Jan. 3.