About Pfeiffer University
Pfeiffer University is a private liberal arts college serving over 2,200 students from three locations in central North Carolina. Pfeiffer University’s new, state-of-the-art Center for Health Sciences in downtown Albemarle, NC was designed by Little Architects and houses the Master of Physician Assistant Studies and Master of Occupational Therapy programs through the Center for Advanced Clinical Simulation Education (CACSE). A blending of the town’s historic landscape and the university’s goal of expanding access to rural healthcare, the building stands as a bridge between Albemarle’s past and its future.
The first floor lobby features a 65” display and a digital signage player that Pfeiffer uses to showcase content created in-house.
A first floor multi-purpose room has a “divide and combine” system with three 65” displays that can be combined to show the same content or divided to show content independent of each other. An in-ceiling flushmounted electric screen and projector are another source of visual display that can be used for large presentations.
Two smaller meeting rooms on the first floor each have 55” displays on tilting wall mounts. HDMI cables installed in compartments in the conference table provide wired
connections for bring-your-own-device presenting. Wireless presentation receivers behind displays offer options for presenting from laptops with internet access.
Part of the requirements for the RUS DLT grant award are strategic partnerships in coordination with distance learning and telemedicine. New London Schools already had
established relationships with Lorain County Community College and Norwalk Catholic Schools as partners for STEM education.
Brad explains, “With Lorain County Community College, we had an existing relationship through our College Credit Plus program, and so we've really built out our offerings with them. The distance learning technology can only strengthen the course offerings and the support to students.”
Distance learning technologies has the potential to allow students at Saint Paul's, a small Parochial school, to select AP calculus classes at New London Schools, where multiple units of AP calculus are offered, or attend higher level physics classes, accessing educational opportunities not easily offered in smaller schools.
The third partner is Northwestern Local Schools (NWLS) in Wayne County, one of the few districts in the state that have a STEM designation for their preschool, elementary school, and their high school. Brad tells, “They are all STEM designated, and that's a goal of ours, to receive STEM designation. This is an opportunity for us to learn from them and for our students and their students to collaborate. We are part of an established network of rural schools in our region that work together virtually. We are in year four of partnering with NWLS and a few other districts in our region as part of the Rural STEM collaborative with High Schools That Work and the Army Educational Outreach Program.” Leveraging partnerships with other educational institutions, distance learning technologies exponentially grow dynamic educational opportunities for students throughout the region, broadening the grant’s impact far beyond New London Schools.
Pfeiffer University was confident that Solutionz takes professional industry standards seriously. In addition to adhering to local, state, and client building safety codes, Solutionz meets all requirements for the Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard as set by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a body accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Professional project management’s careful coordination with electrical, millwork, and other trades ensured that proper power supplies and structural supports for the audio-visual components were in place.
With experience in both education and healthcare technology infrastructure, structured cabling and audiovisual design, Solutionz was the best choice for a trusted technology partner for this largescale construction project designed to educate future healthcare providers.