Get ready to break some news, make a PR pitch and show off your broadcast chops!
Prince George鈥檚 Community College just launched its brand new Center for Performing Arts.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an art,鈥� communications professor Lou Holder said. 鈥淲e have programs for every type of mass comm. If you want to do a podcast [or] if you want to learn how to write scripts, you can do that.鈥�
Broadcast students will enjoy brand new TV and radio studios.
鈥淭hey have all the bells and whistles,鈥� Holder said. 鈥淥ur industry is changing so much with radio and television, that it鈥檚 good to have state-of-the-art equipment 鈥� level with what they鈥檙e consuming.鈥�
The students produce their own shows on Prince George鈥檚 Community College Television (PGCC-TV).
鈥淲e have a show I helped create called 鈥楽portsNest鈥� where we highlight all the sports programs here at Prince George鈥檚 Community College,鈥� Holder said. 鈥淓ventually 鈥� we鈥檒l have a half-hour broadcast of the whole news, because some students want to do entertainment, some want to do weather, and some want to do just straight news. 鈥� The goal is to have shows that are student-run and student-produced, so they can have real-life experience on their resume 鈥� that they did something of substance here.鈥�
Students can鈥檛 get over the sleek new stations.
鈥淭he new space is amazing,鈥� broadcast student Moude Osei said. 鈥淭hese amazing professors are so engulfed in our careers. They鈥檙e like, 鈥楥ome use the studio! Come to the radio station! Record your podcast here!鈥� 鈥� The station is just so real. You are in a real station. No one can take that from you. They can鈥檛 say, 鈥極h, you鈥檙e just at a community college.鈥� It鈥檚 a real station and you鈥檙e getting real experience.鈥�
Such hands-on experience is a big selling point compared to four-year colleges.
鈥淎t a lot of these colleges, you don鈥檛 get to do anything until you鈥檙e a senior, but here you can jump right in,鈥� Holder said. 鈥淚f you are looking to be stretched, get something on your resume, or make a difference in your profession, Prince George鈥檚 Community College is where you need to be.鈥�
In addition to mass communications, you can also study journalism and public relations.
鈥淲e are one of just two community colleges in the state offering a public relations program,鈥� public relations professor Dr. Clover Baker-Brown said. 鈥淲e are providing the first two years of a public relations program for them, then they take it to the four-year [university] and earn their degree.鈥�
She agrees that the facility is state-of-the-art.
鈥淭he Center for Performing Arts is a dream come true,鈥� Baker-Brown said. 鈥淭he facility itself has been something that we have dreamt about for a very long time 鈥� and now it鈥檚 finally here. 鈥� We have a lot of labs for our students who are majoring in public relations and journalism. 鈥� We are planning on moving our student newspaper over. 鈥� We now have labs they can go in and actually practice their craft.鈥�
Student feedback has been tremendous.
鈥淭hey are excited, they鈥檙e hungry for knowledge,鈥� Baker-Brown said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things that we鈥檙e able to do very well here is to help to satiate that knowledge for them. We provide them with information, we make it accessible and we make it fun, learning something that they really want to do.鈥�
