A new virtual campus tour was recently launched to showcase the University to prospective students. Featuring 19 360-degree panorama shots and supplementary photos and videos, the tour offers a glimpse into the University experience.

The University employed the help of Virtually Anywhere, an Austin, Texas-based virtual tour firm, to create this new digital tool. Director of University Marketing and Web Content Molly O’Brien-Foelsch contributed greatly to the project.

“I created the ‘storyboard’ (determined which images Virtually Anywhere should shoot) and then decided which additional content to feature. We can add to and change photo galleries whenever we need or want to,” O’Brien-Foelsch said.

While this new tour is now a resource for all prospective University students, it offers assistance to students who are unable to visit campus prior to applying. Students from the West Coast, Midwest, and South, as well as international locations are expected to benefit from this alternative to traveling to central Pennsylvania.

“This year we had a huge increase in applications, and I think next year there will hopefully be even more because of the virtual tour,” Devon Delvecchio ’15, who works in admissions, said.

The virtual tour was designed for access on both laptops and mobile devices to maximize user-friendliness.

A wide range of campus facilities and academic buildings are represented in the tour, which provides prospective students with an understanding of the diversity of academic and extracurricular opportunities at the University. Beginning on the Academic Quad, many other traditional locations are featured including Bertrand Library and Rooke Chapel. Off-campus student spaces like the Bookstore and the Campus Theatre are also highlighted.