The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has launched a new virtual tour to give prospective students, their parents and other online visitors a feel for the campus and its facilities as well as the academic programs and extracurricular activities that take place there.
The tour, which can be seen at www.upb.pitt.edu and tour.pittbradford.org, was created by Campus Tours of Auburn, Maine, with assistance from faculty, staff and students.
“This tour showcases our beautiful campus and modern facilities,” said Pat Frantz Cercone, executive director of communications and marketing who oversaw the project, “as well as the fascinating academic projects and exciting activities that take place here.
“We hope prospective students and their parents, along with other online visitors, will find the virtual tour helpful, and after taking it will want to visit Pitt-Bradford in person to see for themselves how amazing our campus is.”
The tour features 20 stops, from Hanley Library to the CSI House, from the Richard E. and Ruth McDowell Sport and Fitness Center to Residence Life. Each stop includes a short video in which a Pitt-Bradford student provides details for that particular location, several indoor and outdoor photos, and links to more information. A few stops also have additional academic-related videos.
Five of the stops also feature 360-degree panoramic photos of the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall, Kenneth C. Jadlowiec Fitness Center in the Sport and Fitness Center, KOA Dining Room in the Frame-Westerberg Commons, Dr. Robert B. Bromeley Quadrangle, and the Kessel Athletic Complex.
The Outdoor Learning stop highlights the unique hands-on opportunities students have because of the campus’ location, including classes and research conducted in the Tunungwant Creek or along the Richard E. McDowell Community Trail and internships on the Allegheny National Forest.
Seven Pitt-Bradford students served as narrators for the project: Love Lee, a 2014 graduate in broadcast communications; Dan Robinson, a 2014 graduate in broadcast communications; Saul Rubin, a biology major from Silver Spring, Md.; Hannah Chai, a 2014 graduate in hospitality management; Alana Stewart, a public relations major from Powder Springs, Ga.; Ashley Fitzpatrick, a broadcast communications major from Bradford; and Justin Pabon, a broadcast communications major from Tobyhanna.
Visitors to the new tour can navigate it in two ways: They can choose any or all of the 20 stops listed in the menu and access them in any order and as often as they choose. Visitors also can navigate the tour by using the interactive map, a detailed representation of campus. When a visitor clicks on a location on the map, the map will zoom in on that stop, and the student narration will begin. Or, visitors can traverse through the tour using a combination of the two.
The new tour is optimized for mobile devices and also is GPS integrated, making it easier for first-time visitors to get around when they’re on campus. Visitors on campus with a mobile device can access the virtual tour, which will provide a prompter each time they’re near a particular location. They can then access that stop on their device to learn more as they approach the location.
In addition to highlighting locations and activities on campus, the tour features two stops dedicated to opportunities off campus. The Bradford stop highlights what is available in town, including the Main Street Movie House, restaurants and shops.
The Points of Interest stop showcases the many recreational opportunities in the region and beyond, including swimming and biking in Allegany State Park, hiking and fishing on the Allegheny National Forest, skiing and snowboarding at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, N.Y., and shopping and sight-seeing in Erie, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, N.Y., Niagara Falls and Toronto, Canada.
