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NORMAL — High school students and their families will have a new way to learn about Illinois State University later this year thanks to an episode of “The College Tour.”
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The show’s crew and host Alex Boylan visited ISU this week to talk with students for the episode, which is expected to be available for streaming on Amazon Prime in November. Boylan also hosted a press conference to answer media questions about the show.
Alex Boylan, left, host of The College Tour television series, talks with Brian Beam, executive director of Illinois State University Marketing and Communications, as Boylan begins research for next season’s tour at ISU on Wednesday.
Episodes feature students talking about their experience at the school, often speaking about the things that make the school unique. ISU’s episode will include ten students, including students involved in Esports and the Gamma Phi Circus, Boylan said.
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Students were able to submit two-minute videos to a casting call earlier this year, the university said.
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Illinois State University professor named director of UIS School of Education
“If you’re leaning into a casting video, it’s a gut (feeling), a good sign the audience is going to be leaning in,” Boylan said.
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The show launched in late 2020, with the first episode on Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Since then, Boylan has visited more than 50 schools for the show. ISU will be covered in the first episode of season six.
The production process is a collaboration between the show and the school, Boylan said. That includes two months of pre-production planning to determine what should be highlighted.
Alex Boylan, host of The College Tour television series, discusses how he finds students to talk with during a press conference Wednesday at Illinois State University. Boylan has begun research for next season’s visit to ISU.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was featured in the first season. The show’s website includes a testimonial from UIUC Senior Executive of Marketing and Media Matt Wszolek, who said he appreciated the collaborative nature of the project.
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Boylan has been a TV show host and producer since he got into the field after winning the second season of “The Amazing Race” in 2002. He was inspired to create “The College Tour” after his niece visited him in Los Angeles to see colleges. She wanted to visit other schools in other states, but it was too expensive for her family.
The episode will likely be available for viewing through the university and other means before its Amazon Prime debut, Boylan said. He is proud that no one has to pay to watch; people can even stream it on Amazon without a Prime subscription.
“We want anyone in high school across the world to be able to access this content,” he said.
Episodes can also be seen on the show’s website, The College Tour phone app, YouTube and on smart TVs and Roku devices. Individual clips are also available, which helps the show work for both parents and high school students who might be looking to watch shorter videos on their phones, Boylan said.
“You can sit back and watch a half-hour episode or its modules,” he said.
“The College Tour” is different from other shows he has worked on, in part because it grew from a personal experience, Boylan said. Having the chance to work with students for each episode is also new, but he finds being around them invigorating and inspiring, he said.
“Best of all, you get to work with students,” Boylan said.
Photos: Illinois National Guard opens cyber security range to public
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Illinois National Guard Adjutant General Richard Neely, center, cuts a ribbon to a new server room with members of the 183rd Joint Cyber Range at Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield on Saturday. The Cyber Range and all of its networks are isolated from the internet to avoid inadvertently releasing malware or other viruses from the worldwide net during exercises.
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A shoulder patch worn by members of the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Cyber Centurions underscores the formality of the new field of cybersecurity in the armed forces at the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield on Saturday. The air wing houses the Illinois Guard’s new Joint Cyber Range.
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Lt. Loni Crowder, left, of the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield, introduces guest educators, state leaders and military personnel to the wing’s new Cyber Range at the Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport in Springfield on Saturday. The Cyber Range allows military computer warfare specialists to work with state or corporate computer technicians as they train to battle cyber threats to the country’s infrastructure. The computer stations allow for red and blue teams to battle each other for control of computer networks.
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Members of the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Cyber Centurions file into the Cyber Range at the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield on Saturday. Many of the cyber specialists in the National Guard are weekend warriors who bring their computer science backgrounds to bear on defeating cyber threats to the country’s infrastructure.
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A screen saver on a computer station at the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Cyber Range underscores its connection to the U.S. Air Force in the new facility at the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield on Saturday.
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Illinois National Guard Adjutant General Richard Neely explains to guests on Saturday how the Cyber Range came to be located at the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield.
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Lt. Chris Muenter explains the design and cooperative structure of the Cyber Range to guests at the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield on Saturday. Muenter was one of the specialists who brought the Cyber Range together.
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Military and civilian guests attended the opening of the Illinois National Guard’s Joint Cyber Range at the 183rd Air Wing in Springfield on Saturday.
Contact Connor Wood at (309)820-3240. Follow Connor on Twitter: @connorkwood
