In the spring semester of 2010 the first classes began in the new Center for Communications and Interactive Media at The College of Saint Rose. This facility holds the Communications and Music Industry programs at the College, and offers state-of-the-art technology that is unrivaled at any school in the Capital District. The value of the Center lies in the fact that students study and learn their major, but also practice it in a professional quality setting.
The Center has received support from many different donors who recognize the importance in contributing to the fields of study housed in the building. In 2011 the Center was adorned with a new name, the William Randolph Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media. This is in honor of a $300,000 grant to the school, putting the foundation's total giving amount close to $1 million in the form of endowed scholarships and capital support.
The William Randolph Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media features a full HDTV television studio, a showcase studio, "Radio Saint Rose" with internet and digital radio capabilities, music performance suites, viewing and projection rooms, news bureau, and multimedia labs both for MAC and PC computers. With this large variety of resources, students are able to explore all aspects of communications, music industry, and all other interactive media during their time at The College of Saint Rose.
The full HDTV television studio gives students the opportunity to learn hands on how to operate a control room. The studio has both producer and director workstations, in addition to post-production and editing workstations. Also available for student use are high definition video cameras, news and talk sets, and green screen capability. These resources are all in addition to support courses offered in television production for studio and field work, web and multimedia, advanced multimedia production, and photojournalism.
Two professional studio and control rooms are available to students and come equipped with ProTools HD recording systems powered by MacPros. Multiple isolation booths and cue feeds meet the demanding needs of today's recording artists and producers as well as those of Saint Rose students enrolled in the music industry program. The Hearst Center also offers full back line of amps, professional mics, concert grand piano, drums and cables for optimum performance.
Office space for student publications comes in the form of the news bureau located inside the center. This is the space that the weekly student newspaper, The Chronicle, utilizes throughout the school year. Students who write for The Chronicle come from a variety of backgrounds, including those who study journalism through the Communications program. Journalism students also see their work published to the community through The Pine Hills blog, which is run on the web site of the Times Union, a major newspaper in the Capital District.
