McDonnell Discusses Higher Education and Technology at GMU

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to help residents earn 100,000 higher education degrees over the next 15 years and, to that end, the state and four of its largest universities have partnered with Cisco to help make that a reality.

McDonnell visited on Thursday afternoon and conducted a teleconference call with Cisco CEO John Chambers as well as the presidents of the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, George Mason University and James Madison University using a Cisco technology called TelePresence.

The governor sat at a long table in front of three large screens and it appeared that the other panel participants were sitting just across the table from him. The picture on the screens was crystal clear and the images were life-sized.

"I feel like you're literally sitting next to me, the reception is so good," McDonnell told the panel.

But more than just a nifty gadget, the TelePresence technology, which has been installed at each of the four participating universities, will help the schools cross-collaborate and break down traditional geographic barriers.

For example, George Mason University will use the technology to teach Advanced Chinese during the spring semester to students at James Madison University and Virginia Tech. Students at the University of Virginia are already using TelePresence for job interviews.

"This is merely the beginning," McDonnell said. "We're looking for results, savings, cost efficiencies and advances."

The investment in the TelePresence technology is part of a larger $3.4 million initiative called 4-VA, which is charged with designing a distance education program, increasing research competitiveness across the public university system and establishing a team of mathematics faculty to design a "mathematics learning infrastructure."

TelePresence, already widely available in the private sector, will help further these ends, Chambers said.

"It will change the way research is done," he said.

The company chose not to disclose its monetary investment in the pilot program.

University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan praised the clarity of the equipment and it's potential usefulness at the university level.

"It's very attractive technology. It draws people in," Sullivan said. "The most exciting part is the things we can't even imagine (using it for) yet."