The College Tour Host Alex Boylan

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NORTH DAKOTA MONITOR) – Valley City State University officials are hopeful that the college’s growth in enrollment will get a boost from a video series that will highlight the school.

Valley City State will be the first North Dakota campus featured on “The College Tour,” a series entering its sixth season. The 27-minute episode is available on Valley City State’s website and will air on the Amazon Prime streaming service starting June 2.

“I think that this is a great way to showcase some of our students and what they’re doing, and really kind of focus on a lot of the benefits of what VCSU has to offer,” Erin Heide, director for enrollment services at Valley City State.

The publicity is not free, however. The video production cost the college $92,000.

Mark Potts, director for public relations at the university, said the school had some money designated for marketing that covered the cost.

“This is a strategic investment to increase the exposure of our university and potentially grow our enrollment. We are anticipating several years of use from the episode,” Pott said in an email.

The university is able to use smaller segments of the episode and background video in promotions to students across the country.

Heide said the college recruits students from distant states such as Alaska, Hawaii and Florida.

“Sometimes, when they move into their residence hall in August, that is the first time they step foot on campus,” Heide said.

She said for those students who have not made an in-person visit, the video tour could provide “more comfort in coming to campus. Maybe they feel like they’re a little bit more familiar with the place before they just have to move all their stuff in and start their new life.”

Valley City State has seen enrollment rising since the COVID-19 pandemic. The fall 2025 enrollment at 1,827 students marked the third consecutive year of record enrollment.
Alex Boylan, host of “The College Tour,” speaks during the filming of an episode of the video series at Valley City State University. (Photo courtesy of The College Tour)

Alex Boylan, creator and host for the series, said schools featured on the series can see a 5% increase in enrollment and a 2% increase in retention after their episode airs.

Boylan said the series originated six years ago when his niece was struggling to choose which college to attend. He said the goal is to save families time and money by capturing what a campus is like before families decide to visit or enroll.

A video crew was on the campus Sept. 8-12. The production crew did interviews with students and recent graduates who had been selected by the university.

Grant Larson graduated with an education degree in spring 2025 and is teaching in Watford City.

Larson said he wanted to highlight the opportunities for students on the campus, like his involvement with shooting sports.

Larson came to Valley City from Leeds in northeast North Dakota. He said he had a good impression of Valley City State, but wasn’t anticipating that he would enjoy college. “So I kind of wanted to just get in and get my degree and get out as quickly as I could,” Larson said. “But the student clubs and organizations enhanced my experience so much there, and I owe a lot to those organizations for so much professional development, so many friends, so many connections.”

Anna Palmer is a sophomore from Hebron, majoring in health sciences with hopes of becoming a dentist, who was chosen for the video.

“One of the main things that I enjoyed talking about was the feel of campus,” Palmer said. “One of the things that really drew me in was that it’s a smaller campus, and it feels more homey.”

Other segments highlight the music, computer information systems, and fisheries and wildlife programs.

Boylan, who has produced 200 episodes of “The College Tour,” said he was surprised by the beauty of the Valley City State campus along the Sheyenne River and how well the university and people of Valley City get along.

“The college has an amazing relationship with the community,” he said.

North Dakota Monitor Deputy Editor Jeff Beach can be reached at jbeach@northdakotamonitor.com