Virginia

Virginia (ⁱ/vərˈdʒɪnjə/ vər-JIN-yə, UK /vərˈdʒɪniə/ vər-JIN-ee-ə), officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first colonial possession established in mainland British America, and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2014 is over 8.3 million.

The area's history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony. Slave labor and the land acquired from displaced Native American tribes each played a significant role in the colony's early politics and plantation economy. Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution and joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War, during which Richmond was made the Confederate capital and Virginia's northwestern counties seceded to form the state of West Virginia. Although the Commonwealth was under one-party rule for nearly a century following Reconstruction, both major national parties are competitive in modern Virginia.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university located in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia General Assembly merged MCV with the Richmond Professional Institute, founded in 1917, to create Virginia Commonwealth University. Today, more than 31,000 students pursue 226 degree and certificate programs through VCU's 13 schools and one college. The VCU Health System supports the university's health care education, research and patient care mission.

With a record $270.3 million in sponsored research funding in the fiscal year 2014-15, VCU is designated as a research university with very high research activity by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. A broad array of university-approved centers and institutes of excellence, involving faculty from multiple disciplines in public policy, biotechnology and health care discoveries, supports the university's research mission. Twenty-eight graduate and first-professional programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as among the best in the country. VCU's athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the VCU Rams. They are members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The VCU campus includes historic buildings such as the Ginter House, now used by the school's provost.

College Tour

College Tour is a TV-show in the Netherlands, that interviews the most high-profile Dutch and international guests. Inspired by town hall meetings during United States elections, the majority of questions are asked by the audience. The show is hosted by news anchor Twan Huys, who conceived its format while working as U.S. correspondent in New York and Washington D.C. from 1999-2007.

Similar to Inside the Actors Studio, College Tour typically features one guest per episode, and an audience of a few hundred students — however guests can be from all walks of life, including politicians, entrepreneurs, musicians and lawyers. Foreign guests have included Bill Gates, Shimon Peres, Sting and the Dalai Lama. Dutch interviews have featured football legend Johan Cruijff, astronaut André Kuipers and formerly Dutch activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Although College Tour aims to be weekly, episodes are only produced as sufficiently interesting guests can be found available. It is claimed that audience questions are not pre-screened, and there is no censorship on language used. Interviews with international celebrities are done completely in English, including the questions posed by the audience. Broadcasts feature the original sound with Dutch subtitles — there is no audio dubbing. Commercial breaks are absent.
Recording takes place in varying venues — frequently (movie) theatres, conference rooms, or sometimes a church. Occasionally the show is taken abroad to meet up with stars who are willing, but unable to visit the Netherlands. In a few cases, special venues were arranged, for instance when Da Vinci Code writer Dan Brown was interviewed in the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, in front of famous painting The Night Watch.