‘It’s VCU’ offers an inside look of university

It’s official folks. VCU hit the airwaves.

Nov. 18, WWBT-Channel 12 aired “It’s VCU,” kicking off a four-part series.

Each show will be a half-hour long with no commercials focused on bringing the local community up to speed on what is happening at the school.

Pamela Lepley, director of university news services, said the show is one step in bringing everyone inside and outside the community up-to-date.

For show times for the next three episodes, visit http://www.vcu.edu/itsvcu/

“It’s an important benefit to VCU for our local community to understand what is going on here,” Lepley said.

Cynthia Schmidt, director of university marketing, said the motivation of the show is to show content of things at the school.

“Nothing communicates as strong as a story, and VCU is ripe with good stories,” Schmidt said.

The first episode, titled “It’s VCU: Then, Now, 2020,” focused on the history and development of the school. The second show will focus on international involvement of the school, and the third show will feature the VCU Medical Center. The fourth and final episode will be a diversity episode that shows the departments within the school working together.

“The show feels unscripted almost like a reality show. We wanted it to show how VCU really is on the inside,” Schmidt said.

VCU is able to show the community an inside angle on what they are doing and how it is affecting the community.

“The great thing is, it’s right here in our backyard, everything from the arts to the medical field,” Schmidt said.

The show also helps support the school while giving the VCU student body and surrounding community a chance to see what the school is doing.

“This show is a great tool to help build institutional pride among staff, students and community. It’s also helpful to the parents of potential students,” Lepley said.

Each show is completely shot and produced by Channel 12, and values about $73,000 including airtime costs.

Schmidt said Channel 12 was the best offer for VCU and what the school was looking for.

“Channel 12 wants to be more community related,” Schmidt said.

“It’s VCU” is reaching the community, Carla Plumb said, an alumna of the school’s fashion design department.

“I turned on the TV the other day and caught the show from the beginning,” Plumb said. “I was interested because it was my school on TV. I had no idea about some of the things happening there. It makes me proud to have graduated from the school.”