With the expansion of technology throughout the world today two-way interactive video conferencing has become the norm for many businesses and organizations around the globe. Mississippi State University is no exception. Since the tragedies of Sept. 11, the rise in air travel anxiety, along with the realization that the time spent for business travel costs thousands of extra dollars a year, many corporations are turning to the smarter alternative in the form of two-way video conferencing.
Susan Seal, Extension Distance Learning Coordinator at MSU, said the convenience of video conferencing cannot be overlooked as a means of saving precious time and money on the business front.
“Basically, the cost benefit of live video conferencing, coupled with the benefit of live feedback, provides a much smarter and time-preserving alternative to the traditional face-to-face conferencing. The elimination of air travel fears also provides an incentive for many companies to invest in the new technologies provided here,” Seal said.
The costs involved with such an advanced conferencing center are not as high as one might think. Video conferencing is not a recently introduced idea, and that makes it very affordable and plausible to many universities as another form of educating.
“A fully equipped video conferencing classroom can be added for around $65,000. This is a relatively small price to pay for the advantages that accompany such a classroom,” Seal stated.
After the initial cost of setting up the classroom, the technology soon pays off. Dan Brook, head of MSU Computer Applications, stated, “The return on the investment depends on how much the equipment is used. Often, it can pay for itself very quickly.”
The only additional charge for users is a $90 per hour line connection charge for crossing state lines, such as holding a conference with an institution like Louisiana State University or Clemson.
Interactive video conferencing at MSU consists on two levels: internal and external.
Internally, various groups can communicate with each other. Recently, the “4-H Enrollment Training” program and the “Family Nutrition Program Training” held conferences, which were both originated here at the university.
Externally, the conference center benefits a number of different groups and organizations around the state of Mississippi as well as outside of the state. The “Master Tree Farmer Training” conference was a satellite downlink from Clemson University, which was sent out to seven different interactive video sites, benefitting farmers around the nation.
The use of two-way interactive video conferencing centers around the nation is growing quickly in popularity, and the addition of the well-equipped conference center at MSU is just another way that our university is investing in the future education of its students and the state’s businesses.