June 15, 2007

Broome Community College Announces “BCC iTunes U”;
Students Can Download Academic Courses & Campus Events

-College President To Host News Conference Monday To Unveil Initiative-

(TOWN OF DICKINSON, NY) Broome Community College President Dr. Laurence Spraggs will host a news conference to mark the official launch of "BCC iTunes U" at 10:30 a.m., Monday, June 18, 2007 in the Libous Room, which is located on the first floor of Decker Building on campus.

“Today students are already using portable audio in their daily lives,” said Dr. Spraggs. “BCC iTunes U will allow students to use technology to enhance their education. Our mission is to meet the growing needs of the community, and by embracing and incorporating technology into our academic programs we will raise the level of education afforded to students.”

Through iTunes U, BCC students and community members can access BCC lectures, classes, discussions, debates, video news releases, audio and video interviews with college faculty and staff, campus life activities, arts and musical performances, and so much more.

iTunes U is a free, hosted service for colleges and universities that provides easy access to their educational content, including lectures and interviews, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Based on the same easy-to-use technology of the iTunes Stores, iTunes U also offers typical Apple simplicity and portability.

Through iTunes U, students can download content to their Macs or PCs, regardless of their location. They can listen to and view that content on their Mac or PC, or transfer it to an iPod for listening or viewing on the go. Instructors can easily post and change content on their own without impacting the IT department. And, of course, students can upload their own content to share with professors or with the class.

“Faculty and staff of BCC are excited about using iTunes U,” continued Dr. Spraggs. “Students who miss a class will be able to hear the lecture for that particular day and students will be able to listen to a lecture as often as they want to grasp the concepts. Guest speakers can also be recorded and their comments preserved. Difficult concepts can be reviewed until the message is clear. The iPod and BCC iTunes U makes studying possible virtually anywhere.”

iTunes U is a very powerful way to manage a broad range of audio or video content and make it available quickly and easily to students, faculty and staff.

“Broome Community College strives to be a leader in education,” added Dr. Spraggs. “The College was one of the first Community Colleges in the state to have an on-line portal, a leader in on-line education, and the first regionally to utilize interactive on-line video testimonials. We're thrilled to add iTunes U to our list of innovative technology integrations.”

BCC will also host a one-day seminar on podcasting, iTunes U, video and audio content creation, incorporating iPods into the learning environment and more on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 in the Hoyt Conference Center, which is located on the second floor of the Decker Building on campus.

Starting Monday, June 18, 2007 BCC iTunes U can be accessed through www.sunybroome.edu.