The University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education will receive a Cisco TelePresence videoconferencing system thanks to a $200,000 gift from the Morgridge Family Foundation’s 21st Century Classroom Collaboration grant program.
Morgridge will be the first college of education to use the technology and allow its students and teachers the ability to link to other classroom and research settings around the world. The system’s technology includes high-definition video and spatial audio, which makes users who may be miles apart feel as though they are in a single conference room.
“The Cisco TelePresence system supports our initiative of creating an educational experience with the ability to connect resources, people and research in an interactive, face-to-face learning environment,” says Gregory Anderson, dean of the Morgridge College of Education. “It also allows us to create new educational opportunities, such as global classrooms, and enhances the way we educate and share academic expertise with anyone, anywhere.”
Anderson also says the system will have a positive influence on the college’s environmental impact and budget.
“We can reduce our expenses due to less travel and travel time as well as our carbon footprint,” Anderson says. “At the same time, we can extend our global reach, academic sharing and attract new students across the city or across the world.”
“We are incredibly proud of the Morgridge College of Education and support the innovative vision to provide 21st century professional development for educators,” says Carrie Morgridge, vice president of the Morgridge Family Foundation. “This tool will allow the University to be a global collaborator.”
The system will be located in DU’s Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall, which is currently under construction. Ruffatto Hall will house the Morgridge College and could open as early as June 2010.