[386] ADMISSIONS' CAMPUS TOURS ARE SINGING A NEW iTUNE

Release date: March 24, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Admissions contact: Travis Tipton, 615-494-7956 or ttipton@mtsu.edu


MTSU ADMISSIONS’ CAMPUS TOURS ARE SINGING A NEW iTUNE


(MURFREESBORO) — Prospective MTSU students and their families and friends now have a way to take a tour of campus on weekends and other times when offices and departments are closed.
The Admission Tour Podcast has been uploaded to the MTSU iTunes store, said Admissions Counselor Travis Tipton.
“It’s all audio files and a map of the tour podcast,” said Tipton, who first shared the campus-tour podcast idea with Admissions Director Lynn Palmer. “It takes a student around campus. It highlights buildings in a certain order. There are 13 tracks, so students can pause as they go to their next building.
“The goal of the podcast is if a prospective student visits campus when we’re not open or other offices are closed, they can print the accompanying map off and hear the audio files on iTunes.”
Tipton said his concept was part of Palmer’s request of “asking everybody (in admissions) to pitch in and think outside the box for ideas” in an effort to save money and serve prospective students.
“It was one of those ways of being very cost-efficient. It didn’t cost us anything,” Tipton said.
The podcast became available online in early March.
He added that the podcast idea “goes hand in hand with the True Blue TV idea” that his fellow counselor, Steven Mizell, conceived and shared with News and Public Affairs’ John Lynch for the 30-minute monthly “Middle Tennessee Record” broadcasts. (The two-minute “True Blue TV” segments began airing this month.)
Tipton, an MTSU recording-industry alumnus, said the audio for the podcast was taped at his home recording studio. He, Mizell and Admissions Counselor Matt Hannah recorded the podcast along with students Mary Catherine Culbreath, Jameel Braddock and Mallory Phillips, who serve as tour guides.
“It was the perfect environment for the podcast,” Tipton said.
By April 1, admissions will have a procedure in place for prospective students to check out MP3 players from Tour Coordinator Betty Pedigo at the information booth in the main lobby of the Cope Administration Building.
To find the podcast, visit www.mtsu.edu/itunes/index.shtml and click on the “Take me to Public iTunes U” link.

For MTSU news and information, go to mtsunews.com.

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