SHSU to be featured on ‘The College Tour’ show

From Enterprise Staff

The large number of Polk Countians who are alumni of Sam Houston State University should be pleased to hear that their alma mater is one of the latest colleges to be spotlighted on “The College Tour,” an Amazon Prime television series created by Emmy-nominated and multi-award-winning producers. The university is featured in season 2, which airs on Amazon Prime and Roku.

In the episode, viewers visit historic Sam Houston State University in Huntsville and meet 10 students from diverse backgrounds, sharing their personal college experience at Sam Houston State. Between academics, research opportunities, student life, athletics and making life-long connections as Bearkats, these students show what it’s like to be a part of a close-knit campus community.

“It’s a unique way to reach prospective students through digital mediums – something that current Gen Z’ers have come to expect. And, since the pandemic, traditional campus visits as we know them have changed to include virtual options. This series gives students, and their parents, the best of both worlds,” Leah Mulligan, associate vice president for enrollment success, said.

The series is the brainchild of host Alex Boylan, who was part of the winning team on the second season of the reality TV show “The Amazing Race.” With each episode of “The College Tour,” Boylan takes viewers on campus to show what daily life is really like, told through the voices of actual students.

“Being a part of this was a great experience and opportunity to not only remember, but also showcase why I first fell in love with Sam Houston,” Erin Griffin, an education major, said. “It also provides prospective students with an opportunity to envision themselves here at SHSU and see themselves through me and other fellow Bearkats. We made it to Sam Houston despite any struggles we faced, and they can too.”

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The idea for the show came to Boylan after college visit discussions with his 16-year-old niece, who wanted to tour various colleges all over the U.S. Due to the pandemic and the cost of travel, she wasn’t able to, so Boylan and his team used their production skills and talent to bring universities directly to students.

“This has been incredibly fun to produce and has become wildly successful by highlighting so many unique factors that make up the total college experience,” Boylan said.

Ryan Gutierrez, a doctoral student in the university’s nationally recognized forensic science program added, “It was fun working together with ‘The College Tour’ to tell my story. Hopefully prospective students can see all the great things we have to offer and consider joining the Bearkat family!”

For more information about “The College Tour” – Sam Houston State University, visit: shsu.edu/thecollegetour.

Prospective college students and their families can stream “The College Tour” episodes for free on TV platforms around the world, including: Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and on smart TVs from manufactures including LG, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Phillips, Sharp and other TCL Android-driven smart TVs.