Blackboard and LiveSafe Partner to Enhance Campus Safety Through Mobile Communications

WASHINGTON, April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackboard and LiveSafe, two of the leading companies focused on campus safety and security, have joined forces to bring LiveSafe's mobile safety technology to more schools and students across the country, the companies announced today.

Blackboard provides integrated campus commerce and security solutions through Blackboard Transact™ to hundreds of higher education institutions. LiveSafe's mobile technology allows for direct, two-way communication between safety officials and students that allows students to report safety concerns, receive emergency notifications and engage with an interactive safety map. The partnership marks a joint effort to offer LiveSafe to more schools and help enable them to better deter, prevent and respond to safety concerns.

With a single touch, the LiveSafe app enables any student with a smartphone to share GPS-tagged video, photos, audio and text to a secure Web-based dashboard monitored by campus safety teams. Free for students, each school may customize the app by layering branding elements and information such as the location of key buildings, resources for emergency management and shuttle bus routes.

"Safety is fundamental to ensuring a positive teaching and learning environment in order to achieve meaningful learning outcomes," said David Marr, senior vice president of Blackboard Transact. "We are excited to partner with LiveSafe to empower students in becoming a 'force multiplier,' adding more eyes and ears to campus police departments in real-time. By using a mobile technology that most students own and have with them at all times, schools can take a crowd-sourced approach to safety and facilitate a more direct and meaningful relationship with their students."

Created with the expert guidance of practitioners within the public safety and education sectors, including advisors Mark Sullivan, the 22nd Director of the U.S. Secret Service, and Dr. Alan Merten, President Emeritus of George Mason University, LiveSafe has been implemented in schools across nine states and is growing rapidly.

"As we continue to meet an increasing demand for LiveSafe, we are thrilled that one of the most significant leaders in education technology has recognized the value of bringing LiveSafe to students across the nation," said Jenny Abramson, CEO and president of LiveSafe. "We are excited to partner with Blackboard to help empower every student and give them the tools they deserve to be safe."

The LiveSafe app can be downloaded on both Apple iOS^® and Android™ smartphones and is available to campuses for a modest annual per student fee.

For more information, visit www.LiveSafeMobile.com, download the LiveSafe app found in the iTunes and Google Play stores, or follow @LiveSafeApp on Twitter.

For more information about Blackboard click here or follow @Blackboard on Twitter.

About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. 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.

About LiveSafe, Inc.
LiveSafe provides a comprehensive student-centered safety solution that empowers both students and schools to identify problems and potential threats quickly in order to help make all members of the school community safer. Through a personal safety smartphone app linked to a cloud-based dispatch and command center, LiveSafe enables increased safety by creating a new two-way channel of communication between the community and safety officials. LiveSafe also provides users a suite of emergency services for real time location tracking in distress situations. With LiveSafe, safety officials are able to better identify and assess threats, prevent crimes, and save lives, thus helping to enhance overall safety.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release. Actual results may differ materially as a result of various important factors. 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 statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

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SOURCE Blackboard Inc.