[048] MTSU Will Launch Interactive Virtual Tour Aug. 17

Release date: Aug. 14, 2009


News & Public Affairs contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or jweiler@mtsu.edu
Other contacts: Tonjanita “Tonja” Johnson, 615-898-7800 or tljohnso@mtsu.edu
Barbara Draude, 615-904-8383 or bdraude@mtsu.edu
Sherian Huddleston, 615-898-2828 or shuddles@mtsu.edu

MTSU Will Launch Interactive Virtual Tour Aug. 17


(MURFREESBORO) — Between a new crop of recent graduates and the upcoming fall semester’s new wave of freshmen, something else is about to be brand new at MTSU.
University officials will launch an interactive, online virtual tour Monday, Aug. 17, and those involved with the process and others are teeming with excitement about the possibilities it brings.
“The (virtual) tour will enhance our image, reach prospective students, help recruitment and build pride. It’s an excellent addition to our Web presence,” said Lucinda Lea, who serves as MTSU’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer.
The online tour “will impact everybody – all of campus, prospective students and faculty, new hires, anyone seeking employment, and the general public can go and see what’s happening at MTSU,” said Sherian Huddleston, associate vice provost for Enrollment Services and chairwoman of the committee tasked to plan and develop the project.”
To access the virtual tour, visit the Web site mtsu.edu and look for “VIRTUAL TOUR,” which has replaced a home page link labeled “APPLY NOW.” Once on the tour, you will find a world of possibilities: links to “apply now,” “schedule a visit,” “request information,” “People/Commentary,” “Interactive Video Tours” and “Campus Map,” which is one of the major features.
A year in the making, the virtual tour, which is collaboration between MTSU and Maine-based CampusTours Inc., an interactive media and software company, has been shown to President Sidney A. McPhee’s cabinet and to the Office of Community Engagement and Support’s Community Advisory Council members.
“This is quite a bold statement from an IT level,” said Phyllis Qualls-Brooks, assistant commissioner in community and industrial relations for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. Qualls-Brooks and other advisory council members viewed the presentation Aug. 14.
“The virtual tour is not intended to replace the guided campus tour, but to enhance the prospective student’s tour experience,” said Lynn Palmer, who is admissions director.
“You will see the tremendous assets that we have with our faculty, students and staff, and the outstanding facilities, and clearly you will get a feel for what makes MTSU so special, and a warm and caring institution,” McPhee said of the virtual tour.
Even alumni of all ages will find the virtual tour fascinating.
“The new virtual tour will provide alumni availability to see campus without actually being there,” said Alumni Relations Director Ginger Freeman. “Many of our alumni are not able to come back to campus as often as they like and this will give them the opportunity to see the new buildings and areas of campus that they may not have been here when they were in school.”
Draude said the details they were able to put into the map make it one of the most impressive maps CampusTours Inc. has been involved with in an online project for a university.
“We tried to get as much detail in as we could,” Draude said.
Map layers will allow viewers to find food venues, handicap parking and Raider Xpress routes, she added.
A content management system will allow university personnel to add new photographs, change the map and keep it as fresh and updated as possible, Draude said.


About MTSU’s virtual tour

On the Internet, visit mtsu.edu and look for the “VIRTUAL TOUR” link.
Special features: 3-D, interactive, photo-realistic map; links for appplying, schedule a campus visit, requesting information, hear what students, faculty and administrators have to say about their university, and more.


About CampusTours Inc.

CampusTours Inc. is an interactive media and software company specializing in meeting the marketing, Web and multimedia needs of the higher-education community. Privately held CampusTours Inc., which is based in Maine, specializes in developing visually stimulating virtual tours, interactive campus maps and college videos that entice students and facilitate direct contacts with university audiences. For more information, visit CampusTours.com.


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