Chief Information Officer Kevin Roberts, recently spent a week touring the country with a Google executive on a national press tour to speak about Google Apps™ Education Edition, the educational branch of the search engine company. Roberts joined Jeff Keltner from Google Apps, speaking with reporters from publications such as BusinessWeek, Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and PC Magazine.
"It was an honor to be invited by Google to represent higher education on this tour," said Roberts. "We have been pleased with Google's education suite. It has worked wonderfully for our campus, and we’re looking forward to what comes next."
ACU has had a longstanding relationship with Google, and Roberts currently sits on the Google Customer Advisory Board, made up of representatives from ACU and five other universities, including Arizona State University, Central Piedmont Community College, Northwestern University, the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the University of Southern California. The board helps Google set strategic priorities for Google Apps for Education based on student, staff and administrator feedback. It also serves as an open discussion around the challenges and successes of technology on campus among a variety of educational institutions
"ACU is a perfect example of how educational institutions are moving towards the cloud and creating an environment where technology is used to enhance the learning experience rather than just for support," said Jeff Keltner, Google Apps for Edu. "We are always excited to see the different ways our customers are using Google Apps on campus, and ACU's iPhone initiative is a prime example of how educational institutions can create advanced applications for teachers and students by leveraging web-based apps to create a more collaborative learning environment."
In 2007, ACU became one of the first universities in the country to implement a complete deployment of Google App, with all faculty, staff and students participating.
ACU launched its Apps-based email and calendar offering in March 2007. Approximately 80 percent of ACU's students switched to Google on the first day they were eligible. By October 1, the full deployment was complete.
"We enjoy great relationships with many technological leaders such as Google, Apple and AT&T," Roberts said. "ACU continues to solidify its position as a technology leader in higher education, a central component of our 21st Century Vision.
Google and Google Apps are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
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