Kentucky Community and Technical College System Selects Blackboard Student Services to Improve Retention

LAS VEGAS, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a major effort to increase student retention and success at college campuses across the state, the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) has selected Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) to redesign its process for delivering services and support to students, the company announced today.

With the initiative, KCTCS aims to save millions of dollars by streamlining administrative processes and improving the way the organization manages admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and information technology across the system. In the initial phase of the project, Blackboard Student Services(SM) – formerly Presidium Inc. – will work with KCTCS to enhance, centralize and manage operations in each of these areas, collaborating with institutional leaders on system-wide change management.

"Through this multi-year initiative with Blackboard, KCTCS will be more nimble and focused on providing better service to students," said Dr. Gloria McCall, vice chancellor of KCTCS. "The plan is designed to ensure the global competitiveness of Kentucky by educating our citizens in high demand, high wage jobs."

KCTCS supports more than 106,000 students and approximately 10,000 faculty and staff at 16 colleges located on 68 campuses across the state. Working with Blackboard Student Services, KCTCS will implement a statewide relationship management system to support students in all areas of college life. The effort is part of a larger system-wide transformation initiative to deliver improved services to a growing number of students and faculty with cost-effective approaches that allow for a more sustainable, efficient use of resources.

The effort will provide integrated services, support and technology across the college system including service desk operations for recruitment and admissions, financial aid and student accounts, retention services and identity management. Students and faculty will gain access to on-demand phone, Web, chat and mobile support and will receive proactive voice and e-mail communications that anticipate their needs in key areas. Across the system, the changes will enable KCTCS officials to better measure outcomes and – through an integration with technology partners Intelliworks and Starfish Retention Solutions – provide a holistic approach to student lifecycle management including strategic enrollment management and proactive retention solutions.

"Keeping students engaged, keeping them on track, and making sure they're successful is a difficult task, especially at a community college system that is called to serve a growing population on a limited budget," said Craig Chanoff, general manager of Blackboard Student Services. "Intuitive self-help and mobile technologies are not only in high demand, they're critical to student success in today's technology rich environment. We are excited to partner with KCTCS to improve these types of services and provide comprehensive, multi-channel support for students in all areas of campus life. This effort can help them retain and graduate more students, keeping them in Kentucky to pursue further educational and career opportunities."

Launched earlier this year with the acquisition of Presidium Inc., a leading provider of administrative and academic support services to hundreds of colleges and universities, Blackboard Student Services supports all aspects of the student lifecycle, including admissions and enrollment, financial aid, student accounts and IT helpdesks.

The announcement was made today at BbWorld®, Blackboard's annual user conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For more information about Blackboard Student Services, please visit http://www.blackboard.com/StudentServices 

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-K filed on February 18, 2011 and Form 10-Q filed on May 9, 2011 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of July 13, 2011. 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 13, 2011.

SOURCE Blackboard Inc.