Beginning Monday, students from more than 40 schools, representing 15 conferences and 21 states, plus Washington, D.C., will have the opportunity to serve in various editorial roles during ESPNU Campus Connection Week -- including producer, sideline reporter, play-by-play announcer, stage manager and camera operator. The newly renamed week, previously known as Student Spirit Week, will feature at least one ESPNU Campus Connection element in every college basketball game during the span of six days, which will include 39 men's and women's college basketball games combined on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
The week will tip off on Monday with three games across the networks at 7 p.m. ET, highlighted by Pittsburgh hosting Syracuse (men) on ESPN and Connecticut at North Carolina on ESPN2. ESPNU will televise a game from Washington, D.C. the night before the Presidential Inauguration, with South Carolina State University at Howard University (men). In addition, ESPNU Campus Connection Week will live online with community forums. Fans will have the opportunity to post comments and photos relevant to their respective institutions and alma maters on the college basketball and ESPNU.com sections of ESPN.com.
ESPNU Campus Connection Week is an expansion of the larger ESPNU Campus Connection brand that was launched in January 2008, which is a student-generated content initiative that involves more than 100 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Students regularly appear on ESPNU game telecasts and studio shows as on-air announcers, producers and camera operators, among other roles. Some other examples include writing articles for ESPN.com, programming the ESPNU network for a day and working on special academic projects.
ESPNU Campus Connection Week Highlights on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU:
• ESPNU Campus Connection profile on one student-athlete in every game
• "ESPNU Extra Credit" segment -- student(s) conveying something unique about his/her college
• Syracuse student announcer, Steve Andress, returns for the third time to call some play-by-play action during the Syracuse at Pittsburgh men's game on Jan. 19. Andress previously worked an ESPNU college football and men's basketball telecast.
• Nebraska at Oklahoma men's game on January 21 on ESPNU (9 p.m. ET) will utilize ten students working on-air and behind-the-scenes.
• Roving and sideline student reporters will include Duke Women's basketball player Abby Waner reporting on the Maryland at Duke men's game on Jan. 24 on ESPN (noon ET).
• Howard University student Thomas Logan will offer unique perspective from his school's men's basketball game against South Carolina State on ESPNU Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in Washington, D.C., the night before the historic Presidential Inauguration.
• A behind-the-scenes look at the Southern University band from Southern student Morrell Carter, Jr. during the Mississippi Valley State at Southern men's game on Jan. 19 on ESPNU (9 p.m. ET)
• UNC's Sara Moore will help produce the Clemson at #6 North Carolina (Chapel Hill) men's game on Jan. 21 on ESPN (9 p.m. ET)
• Injured St. John's forward Anthony Mason, Jr. will be reporting from the Jan. 22 Cincinnati at St. John's men's basketball game on ESPNU (9 p.m. ET)
• Integration of student radio calls
• Student produced vignettes
• Student camera operators