GCPL Newsletter, October 2025
We’re excited to share several important updates from the GCPL. From record-breaking engagement on our social media platforms, to strong fundraising support for our upcoming study-away trip to Florence, to preparations for our fall seminar, there is much to celebrate and look forward to.
GCPL Social Media Activity
We are very pleased to report that GCPL activity relating to social media has increased dramatically of late. During September, we reached an all-time high of views of GCPL social media sites. Between late August and late September, the GCPL’s Instagram page received 22,500 views. Of these views, 55.4% were from people between the ages of 18 and 24. Which means that people in this age group – and hence in the age-range relevant to recruiting students to Hiram – viewed the GCPL page 12,465 times during a 30-day timeframe.
This constitutes a major increase in terms of GCPL social media viewership and suggests that we are on a heightened positive trend for attracting positive attention to the GCPL and to Hiram in general.
The next step in all of this is now to continue building the GCPL’s online presence, and to translate this growth into strategic, long-term benefits to the program and the College in terms of attracting students and support.
Tactical Fundraising for the GCPL Trip to Florence
The GCPL trip to Florence in March is turning out to be more expensive than initially anticipated. This cost increase directly reflects the fact that Florence is such a popular travel destination, and as such it is more challenging to find acceptably priced and reasonably safe/clean accommodations in the city than has been the case with any other trip the GCPL has ever taken. The cost of flights to Florence also appears to reflect this pricing dynamic.
As such, we decided to engage in some tactical – i.e., immediate needs focused – fundraising, to make sure that we weren’t obliged to dip further into existing GCPL resources. We are pleased to report that, over the last couple weeks, we have managed to raise the vast majority of the amount we’d determined to raise, and we have also received pledges from donors for further funding for this purpose.
We are extremely grateful to these donors – which include both longtime financial supporters as well as new financial supporters of the GCPL – for this support. These study away trips are lifelong-impacting experiences for our students, and this funding will allow us to be able to provide them with a truly unique learning opportunity.
Prepping for the GCPL Fall Seminar
Everything is set for the GCPL’s fall seminar featuring Hiram alumni, John Lauder, discussing “Nuclear Options” in the Middle East and elsewhere. If you would like to register for this event on October 28 from 5 -7 p.m. in the Kennedy Center ballroom, please click here.
James Thompson, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science
ThompsonJA@Hiram.edu
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