Virtual tour offers BU 'experience'

Tours of Boston University for prospective students now include a $3 million, three-part multimedia presentation called the "BU Experience" that showcases celebrated alumni, faculty and students in a newly constructed room below Morse Auditorium.

The program, which is sponsored by John Hancock Financial Services, was launched on June 25 and covers a range of topics from the university's past, present and future.

High school junior Brigitte Knoll from Madison, Wis. said she enjoyed hearing about the student's experiences at BU and with their professors.

"I really liked watching all the TVs with the people that have been here and what they had to say," she said.

Peter Fiedler, assistant vice president of the Office of Executive Vice President, said the "BU Experience" provides a unique look at the university's past and future.

"It is important because it gives a concise snapshot of the history of the school and the excellence that exists at BU," Fiedler said. "It shows the greatness behind and ahead of [students]."

"They could be the next people on this screen."

Fiedler said the presentation was conceived by Vice President of the Board of Trustees David D'Alessandro after seeing a "unique" corporate presentation.

"It picked up momentum when D'Alessandro earmarked $1 million of $21 million given to BU for the Student Village from John Hancock Financial Services [for the program]," Fielder said. "It was 50/50 with Boston University responsible for the operation and John Hancock the creative aspects."

Northern Carolina high school junior John Vincent Prestosa said he enjoyed learning about the alumni and how the school prepared its students for life beyond college.

"The alumni portion really brought to my attention how good the university is and how it really affected people when they went to the outside world after college," he said. "It really makes me want to go here even more because it made it even more comfortable to be here."

Fiedler said according to reports three weeks ago from prospective students, the program has proved to be very effective.

"The project, aimed at prospective students, is used quite regularly and has received incredibly high marks from people that have gone through it," he said.

Ashley Moglio, a high school junior from Madison, Wis., said she did not know how realistic the experience would be after reading its online description before attending.

"I thought it was really good," she said. "I really didn't know what to expect ... I just really thought I was there."

Jack Morton Worldwide, who designed the 2004 Olympic Games ceremonies last summer in Athens, Greece, was responsible for most of the presentation's design, according to Fiedler.

"They did the layout, floor plans and color scheme," he said. "Then John Hancock self-contracted out to Black Pearl Productions, a local company for the third video segment of the BU Experience."

Fiedler said he was impressed by the project and expects it to continue to be successful as more films are added to the current multimedia collection.

"It is very rewarding, but has a long way to go," he said. "The objective is to continue to add to library of videos."

Prestosa's mother Elizabeth said the presentation was effective in convincing her the university was a good fit for her son.

"It tells a lot about BU in a nutshell and that was nice," she said. "I think I can see my son around here."

Fiedler said other colleges do not have a program as in-depth or visually advanced as the "BU Experience."

"It is one-of-a-kind," he said.