Forsee utilizes TelePresence system for meeting
The new system aims to connect the four UM system universities.
Published Sept. 29, 2009
UM system President Gary Forsee had an exchange with top representatives from Cisco and AT&T on Monday via the TelePresence system in the second major use of MU's video-conferencing system.
Forsee and his wife, Sherry Forsee, who were both present for the Monday conference, made the TelePresence system possible through a $1 million donation and with the cooperation of AT&T and Cisco.
The system had its primary debut in late August for a Board of Curators meeting. The system allows up to four different virtual rooms to be connected at once. For the meetings in August, at least three rooms were connected at all times. Forsee said even with heavy dialogue and the board scattered throughout the various virtual rooms, the system couldn't have worked out any better.
Forsee had nothing but good things to say about the TelePresence system and the possibilities it has presented the UM system.
"We've already had the chance to exercise the system," Forsee said. "For our August meetings, we had curators in three of four rooms. Now that our folks have experienced TelePresence, everyone wants to get in line."
Forsee advised Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers to have his order books ready for the influx of business Forsee predicts for the company.
Forsee gave special recognition to Gary Allen, vice president for Information Technology for the UM system, who Forsee said was instrumental in getting the TelePresence system up and running. Allen was present at the Monday meeting.
Chambers said video coverage would become instrumental in the near future. As a testament to this belief, Chambers announced Cisco is planning to set the university up with 10 flip-cameras that allow video to be recorded and played back instantaneously. Chambers said he thought the cameras would especially revolutionize the way sports are recorded and viewed.
"The future's all about video, you don't want to miss people's reactions," Chambers said. "The ability to share video is so much of the future. It allows us to capture information and push it out to communities of interest."
Forsee predicted the UM system would save approximately $1 million a year in cost saving with regard to traveling between the four universities with the new TelePresence system.
Monday's conference was a chance for Forsee to express his gratitude toward Chambers from Cisco and Jose from AT&T. Chambers was based in San Jose, Calif., for the meeting; Gutierrez in Bedminste, N.J. For part of the meeting, Bruce Klein, Senior Vice President for the U.S. Public Sector of Cisco, sat in from Herndon, Va. Both Cisco and AT&T reciprocated the feelings toward Forsee for bringing the UM system into a group of approximately 20 universities with TelePresence capabilities.
Allen said at the present time, MU is only able to conference with the other three universities in the UM system, but by the first quarter of the new year, these capabilities should be expanded.
Gutierrez ended the meeting with school pride.
"I'd just like to do one final test. As a proud Mizzou graduate, I would like to say M-I-Z," Gutierrez said.
All of those present, in the room and virtually, responded as expected.