Providence, RI--A highly regarded academic reputation, coupled with a steady popularity among sports enthusiasts, and a convenient location near a bustling downtown, has led to Providence College being one of the first higher-education institutions in the country featured in a lively five-minute Internet Web tour.
The tour, which was coordinated by the Office of College Relations and Planning and the Office of Admission, was filmed on campus last summer and it is currently being broadcast on a growing, national Web site called YOUniversity.tv, highlights the College's distinct position in the world of higher education-most notably its firmly held Catholic and Dominican roots and academic quality. In addition, the tour features student and faculty interviews and showcases the Providence arts and entertainment scene, as well as life on campus.
YOUniversity.tv is an off-shoot of MAX World Media, a short-form television and radio production company that has produced stories for every major radio and television network in the United States, including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and CNN.
Although the company, YOUniversity LLC, has plans to film some 1,200 colleges and universities for its Web site, PC is one of only 25 currently featured on the site. Other schools highlighted on the site range from the largest university in the country, The Ohio State University, to the 1,650-student Albright College in Reading, Pa.
Ron Reis, executive producer with YOUniversity LLC, said the current Web site is only a pilot and expects a completed YOUniversity.tv to include Internet search capabilities, a "virtual dorm room," and a social interaction component when it is officially unveiled in September. The site is being promoted to prospective students through mailings to thousands of high school guidance counselors nationwide and through other media announcements.
YOUniversity is also slated to become a weekly, half-hour television series that will feature four schools per episode. Reis said a network where the series will be broadcast is still being determined, but he noted that anyone interested in viewing the show will soon be able to by using the "On-Demand" access offered through various cable companies.
Because YOUniversity programming has been created specifically for viewing by television, the Internet, and mobile devices, "Viewers can watch what they want, where they want it, and when they want it," Reis said.
The current PC tour can be accessed on PC's Web site by clicking on "Virtual Tour" on the PC home page. The link to the YOUniversity tour appears below the link to the recently revised tour created by the College.
By searching www.YOUniversity.tv, Reis said millions of college-bound students will have the opportunity to delve deeper into what different schools offer.
"Students and parents will be able to get a better taste for what the school is," Reis said. "If someone is interested in Providence College, they will get an in-depth look that they otherwise wouldn't have had."
Reis explained that the company decided to start its series with 300 schools. Seventy-five schools have already been taped and another 75 are scheduled for taping over the next few months, he said.
He added that by being one of the first schools to be profiled on the site, PC holds an advantage over other schools that sign on later.
"Being one of the premier schools gives PC a significant advantage because the potentially millions of college-bound students visiting YOUniversity.tv will watch those schools' tours before any others are available," Reis said.
Since taping the Providence College segment, Reis said the company has been filming many other colleges and universities throughout the country.
"We have seen exponential growth almost daily," Reis said. "This is the premier video/resource and community for prospective college students, currently enrolled students, parents, family, and fans of the school. There's nothing else like it."
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