Duquesne’s Undergraduate Viewbook—We Have an App for That!

The undergraduate viewbook is now available as a free application (app) for iPad, the first such digital publication at Duquesne and one of only several viewbook apps nationwide.

The University’s annually updated viewbook—until now only available in print—is a key recruitment publication of the Office of Admissions. The viewbook’s purpose is to explain to prospective students and their parents what makes Duquesne unique.

Accessible through Apple’s online App Store, the viewbook app incorporates the printed version’s explanatory text and attractive photos, but augments them with sound, video and other interactive features, including hyperlinks to University web pages. Along with reading about the University’s mission, for example, app users can watch a video in which students explain how Duquesne provided opportunities that changed their lives as well as the lives of others.

In the burgeoning tablet-computer market, iPad growth stands out; according to Macworld magazine, Apple sold more than 17 million iPads in the third quarter of 2012. Such rapid growth makes it possible to use an iPad app to communicate with an expanded pool of potential students anywhere in the world without additional printing or mailing costs. In addition, persons receiving a printed viewbook will also be encouraged to download the iPad app, so they can learn even more about Duquesne.

“Duquesne’s viewbook is an essential part of a larger strategy for enrolling academically talented and technologically sophisticated students,” said Paul-James Cukanna, associate provost for enrollment management. “With the rapid growth of tablets, and iPads in particular, our viewbook app gives us an exciting and innovative way to share vital information about the University and its mission with a larger group of motivated prospects.”