Lander University graduate student Sarah Crews may be best known as a member of the Lady Bearcats basketball team, but she is known for something else by Professor of English Dr. Lloyd Willis.
“Sarah is responsible for creating and scheduling social media posts for the College of Graduate and Online Studies, and she contributes to the creation of social media ads,” said Willis, who is serving as interim dean. He said that the social media ads she has created have been viewed over 35 million times by more than four million people.
Willis said that Crews’s work has “been critically important to the enrollment gains we have accomplished throughout 2021-2022.”
Crews, of North Augusta, graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, and is pursuing a master’s degree in business management. She said that her work with the College of Graduate and Online Studies has been rewarding.
“I have learned new skills using Canva and Hootsuite. I have also learned about the business side of recruiting students.” She said that Willis “has shown us the exponential increase in applications and enrollment based on the work we do in his office, and it is unbelievable to me.”
Crews called the interest in her work “astounding,” but it is far from her first taste of success. She has been on the President’s List since her sophomore year, and she was on the Dean’s List before that. She received the Sociology Discipline Award last year for having the highest grade point average in the department. She has also received the Elite 16 Award for having the highest GPA in the Peace Belt Conference Tournament.
A starter for most of her career, she has been to two NCAA Sweet 16s and a Final Four. She helped the Lady Bearcats win two PBC regular season titles and one PBC tournament title. The Lady Bearcats were the top seed in the Southeast Region two years ago, when the NCAA tournament was shut down due to COVID-19.
Crews chose Lander because of the success of the women’s team and the camaraderie she felt with team members. Lander also had the degree she wanted, and the school was held in high-esteem.
“I have loved my time here,” she said. “Professors like Dr. Rubin and Dr. Rausch have made me fall in love with learning about sociology and different cultures. The athletic department has shown me so much love, and the rest of the staff has been kind. The café and other food workers are my friends. We catch up every time we see each other. The students have been encouraging, and they have really embraced me. Brian Reese, the A.D., has allowed me to experience so many things. I have been to a SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) Conference in Florida and took a trip to New York, free of charge. Things like that have set Lander apart.”
After getting her master’s degree, Crews said she would like to do “some form of mentoring or social work, something in Human Services.”