The West Virginia University College of Creative Arts and Media is developing an Extended Reality (XR) Suite, thanks to a gift from WVU alumnus George Singleton (BSJ 1977, Communications Studies, MA 1979) and his wife, Jackie.
The XR Suite will provide opportunities for cross-collaboration between different majors and colleges and will provide the latest gear for XR projects, including high-tech workstations for game design and immersive audio production.
“Just as it has in the past, technology will continue to change nearly everything that’s done at the College of Creative Arts and Media,” Singleton said. “The XR Suite is just one aspect of keeping up with technological change. Given the size and importance of the gaming and interactive media industry, we felt it was important that our students have the hardware, software and innovative curriculum to prepare for - and be in the position to help shape - the future.”
George and Jackie Singleton. Courtesy: George Singleton
Extended reality is becoming more prevalent in many careers, including immersive technologies, gaming, 3D graphic design, spatial computing, interactive brand strategy and communications. Singleton said that while estimates vary, online global gaming total revenue exceeds $200 billion a year, more than the global music and movie businesses combined.
Singleton attended WVU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in advertising and a master’s degree in communication studies. His career in advertising and marketing strategy has included work for global advertising agencies, including McCann Erickson in their Atlanta and Hong Kong locations, Interpublic Group in Atlanta and Publicis Asia Pacific in Hong Kong. After more than 20 years working in Asia, he and his wife moved back to West Virginia in 2021.
“After returning to West Virginia, we decided we wanted to give something back to the College, which served as a foundation for my career,” Singleton said. “My experience at WVU was terrific, and we are happy to be able to help the next generation of students.”
The XR Suite will be the latest addition to the Media Innovation Center. Located in Evansdale Crossing on the WVU campus, the Center was launched by the WVU Reed College of Media (now the Reed School of Media and Communications) in 2016 to provide space, technology, curriculum and culture for building a highly collaborative community of entrepreneurs and problem solvers.
“Our goal is to prepare students to enter the modern media landscape,” said Diana Martinelli, Vice Dean of the College of Creative Arts and Media and Director of the Reed School. “This goal was the driving force behind the design and construction of the Media Innovation Center, and the XR Suite is a logical new component. We’re incredibly grateful to the Singletons for providing this opportunity for our students, and we look forward to continuing to evolve our curriculum to best position them for success”
For more information about the Media Innovation Center, visit mediainnovation.wvu.edu. If you would like to make a gift to support media students or the Media Innovation Center, contact Mary Esposito at mesposito@wvuf.org.
The Singleton’s gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.