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Technology Signs of the Times Wireless networks, top-shelf software, and real-time data feeds are essential to the technological initiatives ofmany busi- ness schools. But while a strong IT in- frastructure is crucial, it's largely invisi- ble to campus visitors. To getmore bang for their technological buck, some schools are turning to electronic signage. As learning tools, news sources, and brand communicators, elec- tronic displaysmake the visual impact that wireless networks can't. This was the case at the University of Con- necticut's School of Busi- ness in Storrs, Connecti- cut. The school wanted its newHartford-based $20 million financial ac- celerator to be equivalent to anyWall Street finan- cial center, explains Richard Dino, associate dean for graduate programs. That meant that the accelerator not only had to function at a high level to give students true-to-life learning experi- ences—it also had to look the part. Consequently, the school partnered with TransLux (www.trans-lux.com), a provider of electronic information display systems based in Norwalk, Connecticut, to equip the accelerator from the inside out. Inside the accelerator, its 30-foot- high wall is decked with a 45-foot- wide, 17-foot-tall display board, po- sitioned ten feet off the ground. There also are four 8′ x 7′ chart walls displaying the activities of stocks that students are monitoring. Outside, a 210-foot-long, two-foot-high ticker stretches around the building dis- playing financial news and stock mar- 52 BizEd MAY/JUNE 2005 The 210-foot-wide Jumbotron outside UConn's financial accelerator in Hartford. The view of the 45' x 17' electronic board and trading room floor from the observation deck in UConn's financial accelerator. school's ideological and technological brand to the marketplace. TheMcCallum Graduate School ket information; two 16′ x 12′ rain- bow walls present national and inter- national news, as well as information about what's going on at the school and in downtown Hartford. The goal, says Dino, is to make a state- ment to the 50,000 people who pass through Hartford's financial district each day. "We usedWall Street as our exam- ple," says Dino. "The outdoor sig- nage is a way of indicating to every- one the experiential learning environment that we have inside." As business schools strive to ex- tend their reach off campus, it will become imperative that they make their offerings as visible as possible, says Dino. As the University of Con- necticut has found, signage can play a large role in communicating a of Business at Bentley College in Waltham,Massachusetts, also is working with TransLux to bring elec- tronic signage to its campus. Their partnership began when TransLux contacted professor Perry Lowe to design a two-phase student research project that looked into the market for electronic displays in higher edu- cation. TransLux already had pene- trated the higher education market when it came to trading room and student center signage.However, the company wanted to know more about best practices in on-campus sign placement and content. In phase one of the project, stu- dents took a semester to conduct their research. At the end, the class presented its idea for "TheModel Campus," offering their recommen- dations for the best use of campus displays. "Students recommended not only locations, types, and con- tent of signage, but also a plan the company could use to market the product to all colleges and universi- ties," explains Lowe. Phase two, in which Bentley Col-