Drury University’s Hammons School of Architecture (HSA) has long been one of the top programs on campus. Since its inception in the late ‘80s, HSA has been a consistent attraction for students from both near and far.
But even with prolonged success, HSA needed a boost, a better way to reach today’s prospective students. Social media was the obvious method, but asking professors and deans to tackle that chore while also balancing teaching and administration was a tall task.
Enter Claire Nation.
A third-year Architecture major from Monett, Mo., Nation has been running HSA’s social media for about two years, ever since she approached HSA Dean Joshua Nason about how she could help.
“Claire stopped by the office one day and had questions about our social media,” Nason said. “I could tell she wasn’t fond of what we were doing. I finally asked her what she would do differently and within 45 seconds, I knew she had a better plan than we did. So I just asked her when she could start. Her efforts have transformed our social media presence.”
Nation, who has a professional background working with social media for non-profits, said she saw an opportunity to help.
“I’m a fixer. If I see a need, I’ll fill a need,” she said. “Why not volunteer my skills if I can help. It’s something I have an interest in.”
Nation didn’t just take over HSA’s social media, she transformed it.
Since Nation took over late in the spring of 2025, HSA has seen a 521 percent increase in page visits to Instagram, and an 873 percent increase in interactions, two of the most important measures of social media impact. Facebook page visits have more than doubled, and interactions have seen a 163 percent increase over the previous 14 months.
Consistency, and messaging, have been the keys to the growth.
“When there isn’t a specific person in charge of social media or it’s just kind of thrown around, it becomes a platform where people share fliers and information,” Nation said, “instead of a documentary setting where it’s being used to document personal parts of what the HSA experience is all about.”
Nation’s efforts have paid off, as Drury welcomed its largest-ever first-year HSA class in August.
“When we look at the numbers of views online, it’s pretty clear,” Nason said. “We have alumni, and families and students mention it when they come on tours. We think the strategy that’s been developed, we totally trust Claire. She knows what she’s doing.”
For Nation, social media may not be just a passing fancy. More and more architecture firms have begun to integrate social media into their strategies, and they’re hiring architects to handle those duties.
“Small firms are really making an effort to hire recent grads to run their social media,” Nason said.” The and-1 aspect of what she’s doing will really pay dividends when she’s out looking for jobs.”
Be sure to visit HSA’s Instagram and Facebook pages to see Nation’s work.