Burns Hargis takes viewers "Inside OSU" with popular online video program

Friday, February 12, 2010

Oklahoma State University is using video to take students, employee, alumni and other interested viewers Inside OSU.

OSU President Burns Hargis has been hosting the Inside OSU online video program since he became the school’s 18th president in 2008 as a way to spotlight the wide array of programs and activities taking place at OSU.

“Our students, faculty and staff are doing so many wonderful things and much of it goes unnoticed,” said Hargis.  “Inside OSU allows us to spotlight that work and uncover many of the hidden gems that can be found across the Oklahoma State University campus.”

Since launching the show in September 2008, OSU has featured aviation, music, food research, theatre, study abroad, exotic animals, aerospace engineering, geology, entrepreneurship, screen studies and many other programs.  Hargis also has interviewed guest campus speakers such as the founder of Toms Shoes and in the most recent episode former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“One of my greatest joys is learning about the high-quality programs and talented people we have at OSU,” said Hargis.  “We have only scratched the surface.  There is so much more to learn.”

The university has produced 33 episodes of Inside OSU, with a view count approaching 60,000.  The program, which is closed captioned for the hearing impaired, runs regularly during both the fall and spring semesters and is distributed to the campus via e-mail.  It is featured prominently on the OSU home page, and also is available at the OSU Alumni Association and OSU Foundation web sites.  

In his friendly and approachable manner, Hargis engages students, faculty and staff in a relaxed and conversational style, making Inside OSU a hit with viewers.  

"I really appreciate President Hargis and the students, faculty and staff taking the time to do the Inside OSU videos.  As a student it helps me feel connected to the university and learn unique information that I might otherwise not know," said Katie Butler, broadcasting senior in OSU’s Paul Miller School of Journalism and Broadcasting.  

The program has been beneficial in showcasing OSU to potential students.

An OSU employee involved in student recruitment wrote, “Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy these videos.  They are especially helpful in recruitment since the Office of Admissions can e-mail these to prospective students. The video you did with the aerospace engineering weather balloon also got a lot of positive responses from prospective students, and I always show it when I visit high schools and attend college fairs.”

A parent wrote, “I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy President Hargis’ videos.  I am a parent of a senior and it is nice to see what is going on at OSU, since my son is a bit on the quiet side, and like most students is so busy that even he may not know all that is going on at OSU.  Keep up the good work!  Go Pokes!”

Inside OSU episodes are hosted on YouTube and sent out through OSU’s social media channels including Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.  The posts have generated a positive response from OSU’s online community.  Inside OSU can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/user/OkStateNews#g/c/EC2469C714E1228A.