The JB Duke Hotel and Conference Center in Durham, NC, owned by Duke University, has hosted executive MBA students and faculty from the university's Fuqua School of Business, as well as travelers from around the world, since 1989. During recent renovations to the property, the Glaxo Classroom and the Executive Classroom, plus adjoining collaboration breakout spaces, received major audiovisual system upgrades anchored by Extron NAV Pro AV over IP for signal switching and distribution.
"We specified NAV Pro AV over IP based on its flexibility. Extron validated our design, checked how we configured the network switches, verified firmware, and confirmed that the NAV encoders and decoders were configured correctly, says David Johnson, CHTP, Area Director, Information Technology at JB Duke Hotel. "They commissioned the system remotely, which was a real time saver."
The Glaxo and Executive Classrooms serve as hybrid learning venues for the Fuqua School of Business, and also host events booked by third parties. Both classrooms have a back-stage tech booth housing AV system central functions.
These include an 8x8 DXP HD 4K PLUS matrix switcher and core components of the NAV Pro AV over IP network, comprised of NAV E 101 HDMI encoders for video and audio distribution, NAV E 501 HDMI/Ethernet/USB encoders for KVM keyboard and mouse extension, NAV SD 101 scaling decoders, a 48-port Ethernet switch and a NAVigator system manager. AV system control is handled by an Extron control processor. Core audio functions also reside in the tech booth, including AES67/Dante-enabled audio amplifiers, an audio DSP Processor, AXI 22 AT and AXI 44 AT Dante Audio Interface units, and an HAI 100 4K Plus HDMI Audio Embedder.
For working professionals, the weekend Executive MBA program hosted in the JB Duke classrooms is attractive because it’s designed for those who want short-burst intensive residencies with three-day weekend sessions on campus followed by distance sessions. This format provides knowledge building and interaction in a face-to-face setting coupled with the hybrid format in distance sessions, with minimum impact on the work and family commitments of students.
Without the guest accommodations afforded by the JB Duke hotel and the audiovisual capabilities built into the Glaxo and Executive Classrooms for both on-site and remote learning, the Executive MBA program teaching format would be hard to deliver. These facilities make it possible and are a great asset to Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.