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 LCD screens add pizzazz to the Bloch School in Kansas City
At some institutions of higher learning, electronic displays are being used as much for their effectiveness as marketing tools as for their educational benefits. Take the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, for example. Part of the University of Missouri - Kansas City, the School offers undergraduate and graduate programs in business administration, public administration and accounting. When the decision was made to install four large LCD screens on campus, school administrators had them mounted not inside a classroom, but in a highly visible student commons area where students and guests can easily see them.
Says Associate Dean Dr. Lanny Solomon, "Although the LCDs display financial data, they are housed in our Student Lounge, which is far from what one would call a financial trading room. We wanted the displays to help us market the School in a variety of ways, by showing a mix of school announcements, business facts, financial data, alumni spotlights, general news, and live TV." According to Dr. Solomon, the intent in displaying such media-rich screens in a public area is to send the message that the School is tied into the latest technologies and utilizes contemporary communication media. "We wanted glitz, color and pizzazz in the message."
The Bloch School chose Rise Display to design and install its display system. Dr. Solomon explains, "Given our strong desire to use the investment primarily for marketing, we were unable to get excited about vendors who had experience in financial trading rooms or stock exchanges and little else." They also preferred one-stop shopping to purchasing hardware from one vendor and relying on others for data and software support. "We really didn't have anyone on board who was interested in piecing the whole thing together."
According to Dr. Solomon, the results have been outstanding. "Our communication needs have been met, more so than we anticipated. The displays have enhanced our ability to communicate with our stakeholders, which is a crucial function. People today are drowning in junk mail and e-mail, and students have become much more visual as a result of TV, video games, PCs and the like. The LCD units allow us to communicate with students in a medium that they enjoy and with which they are very familiar."
Reactions from others on campus have been similarly enthusiastic: "Students, faculty, staff, and visitors have all been favorably impressed — the units have added a WOW factor to our school. At a recent meeting of our Advisory Board, for example, one of the members came in the room and told another, 'You know, Tom, I just saw your photo and abbreviated bio on the TVs as an Alumni Spotlight.' All were impressed."
As for their experience working with Rise Softools, Dr. Solomon says, "We're very happy and would have no hesitation about using Rise again. Their patience, openness and willingness to work with us was outstanding, and went way beyond what we expected. And the price was extremely competitive. We are VERY satisfied with the results."
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