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�鶹ӰԺ State is first university in Northeast Ohio to have its campus added to Google’s Street View for University Campuses 

Guests of �鶹ӰԺ can now take a walk through the �鶹ӰԺ Campus without ever stepping foot on campus by using the Street View for University Campuses feature on Google Maps. �鶹ӰԺ State is the first university in Northeast Ohio to have its campus added to Google’s Street View for University Campuses. The technology offers a virtual, interactive tour of the �鶹ӰԺ Campus, which makes it more accessible and viewable to online users. 

A crew from Google Maps visited the �鶹ӰԺ Campus for two days to take more than 4,600 photos of areas on campus, including those that are not accessible by vehicle, to create a walking view on Google Street View.

“Google has started to do walking views for colleges and universities across the nation,” said Justin Hilton, �鶹ӰԺ State’s senior associate vice president for university relations. “Now, with this walkable technology they have, any place that you can walk can now be captured.” 

Hilton said the crew from Google captured the campus photos by walking the entire campus, as well as driving on campus in a specialized car designed to take 360-degree photos of internal campus areas. Both the walking and street views feature campus walkways and streets, stretching from Dix Stadium to the beginning of the Lefton Esplanade.  

�鶹ӰԺ State departments, including admissions, athletics, the Alumni Association and more, will benefit from the university’s new Google Street View feature, Hilton said. In addition, the walking view will allow new students to get acquainted with the campus and seek directions, allow prospective athletes to view the campus environment, show alumni changes that have happened on campus and give interested employees of the university a glimpse of the working environment.

“This feature will allow someone who may be interested in �鶹ӰԺ State to literally tour the campus from the comfort of their own home,” Hilton said. “They can walk our entire campus, and it is completely interactive and shows 360 degrees.”

Hilton said in addition to being the first campus in Northeast Ohio to launch the Google Street View feature, Google’s crew used brand new technology to collect the photos. �鶹ӰԺ State was one of the first universities in the country to take advantage of the new technology, which improved the photographers’ access to pedestrian areas.   

“As we were sampling Google Street Views from other universities, we noticed the use of older technology limiting views on campus,” Hilton said. “The photographs used to be taken from a giant camera mounted on a tricycle, making it impossible to show things like staircases. Now, a host of cameras are mounted on a backpack, making everything on campus viewable.”

�鶹ӰԺ State also is the first campus on Google Maps Street View for University Campuses to take a creative spin on the feature. 

Hilton said in planning stages, the idea of a contest was suggested for incorporation in �鶹ӰԺ State’s Google Street View even before the Google crew arrived on the campus.

“At certain parts of the tour, you will see things hidden,” he said. “Now, we can run a contest that allows people viewing the Google tour to find these hidden things and become a winner of various gifts and surprises.” 

To view the �鶹ӰԺ Campus on Google Maps Street View, visit .

To watch a video of the Google Maps crew visiting �鶹ӰԺ State to create a walking view of the university on Google Street View, visit . 

For more information about �鶹ӰԺ, visit www.kent.edu.

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Photo Captions:

Photo 1 of Google Maps crew at �鶹ӰԺ State:
A crew from Google Maps visited �鶹ӰԺ for two days to take more than 4,600 photos of areas on the �鶹ӰԺ Campus, including those that are not accessible by vehicle, to create a walking view on Google Street View. The crew captured the photos by walking the entire campus, as well as driving on campus in a specialized car designed to take 360-degree photos of internal campus areas.

Photo 2 of Google Maps crew at �鶹ӰԺ State:
GoogleB.jpg - A crew from Google Maps visited �鶹ӰԺ for two days to take more than 4,600 photos of areas on the �鶹ӰԺ Campus, including those that are not accessible by vehicle, to create a walking view on Google Street View. The crew captured the photos by walking the entire campus. 

Media Contacts:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595
Bob Burford, rburford@kent.edu, 330-672-8516