Ohio Chancellor Selects Blackboard Consulting To Plan Statewide Digital Learning Clearinghouse
Effort Aims to Increase College Attendance, Graduation Rates for Ohio Students
WASHINGTON, July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut has selected the Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) consulting team to help develop the plan for establishing a new, statewide digital learning clearinghouse to help increase the number of Ohio students that attend and graduate from college and, in turn, strengthen the state's overall workforce and economy.
The clearinghouse will serve as a common, statewide platform for online courses to help learners at all levels better prepare for college and careers. For example, high school students could earn college credit through dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses, or leverage remediation opportunities. College students could take advantage of a wider range of courses and opportunities to earn credits and complete degrees more quickly. And adult learners could pursue training and development opportunities to advance or change their careers and pursue certifications.
The initiative will support several key goals set by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Chancellor Fingerhut as part of the state's strategic plan to graduate more students, keep more of them at Ohio colleges and universities and in the state's workforce, and attract more out of state graduates to pursue additional education and careers in Ohio.
"We have a unique opportunity to increase the impact that public education has on Ohio's workforce and economy," said Chancellor Fingerhut. "The clearinghouse can help us expand quality education opportunities to traditional and non-traditional learners, and keep more students, graduates and jobs in Ohio at a time when there's fierce competition in each of these areas. And Blackboard is an ideal partner given their strategic insight into how to do this well on a statewide level and their strong community of practice."
The project will begin with a phased approach, starting first by making courses available in regional areas that already feature strong partnerships between K-12 and postsecondary institutions before being expanded more widely across the state. The effort will draw heavily on the experience of the Blackboard Consulting team in planning and managing similar statewide online education initiatives and supporting them as part of the company's global community of practice.
"We're excited to be a part of Ohio's overall effort to expand learning opportunities for students and help fortify their pathways to a college education and a good career," said Brett Frazier, Senior Vice President at Blackboard. "The state leadership has an innovative vision for leveraging technology to support education, workforce development and economic growth, one that will serve as a key advantage to the state and its residents over time."
For more information about Blackboard, please visit http://blackboard.com.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-Q filed on May 7, 2010 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of July 15, 2010. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to July 15, 2010.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.
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