Every classroom, lecture hall and auditorium at The Wharton School, the prestigious business school of the University of Pennsylvania, is equipped with at least one multimedia projector. For up to 15 hours a day, Wharton’s fleet of Epson Professional Pro Z Series Projectors is continuously used for classroom instruction, collaborative learning, guest speakers, panel discussions, meetings and special events. Day after day, faculty and students are hooking up to the Internet, creating in-class simulations, accessing remote files, and videoconferencing with guests or other classes around the world.
Founded in 1881, the world’s first collegiate business school today supports the richest technology setting of any major business education institution. Wharton’s technology plays a key role in the education of more than 4,900 undergraduate, MBA and doctoral students, and more than 9,000 participants in executive education programs. It also helps fuel the research of its 250 faculty members and the school’s ongoing engagement with worldwide businesses and business leaders.
A New Start
Kicking off a new academic year, Wharton recently completed a campus-wide projector upgrade to convert all analog audio-visual classroom technology to pure HD-compatible digital systems using Epson’s Professional Pro Z Series line. Before the rollout, Wharton Computing’s Public Technology team took a comprehensive look at both campuses, in Philadelphia and at Wharton / San Francisco, which was soon to move into a new building.
Wharton’s Public Technology group provides technology and support for the school’s more than 60 classrooms, 57 group study rooms and student computing labs. The group supports Wharton classroom technology on each campus, including dual video screens with projection equipment, cameras for videoconferencing and recording/archiving of classroom sessions, custom-designed Wharton Lecterns with touch-screen controls, a facility-wide network control system, and wireless microphones.
“As we watched a number of projector models outgrow their warranties in these classrooms, we knew it was time for a campus-wide projector upgrade,” said Marko Jarymovych, Public Technology’s IT Technical Director. “We also wanted to meet the University of Pennsylvania’s sustainability guidelines for energy efficiency and waste reduction, as well as Wharton’s analog-to-HD digital transition initiatives.”
The challenge was also to standardize projection technology throughout the two campuses, and keep the projectors current and functioning smoothly, with the right value-added technical servicing support. “Because we deal with about 15 different architectural room types in over 80 rooms, we needed a high-performing projector that would handle throw distances and variations in screen sizes,’ said Jarymovych.
Wharton decided to replace 115 projectors with Epson Professional Pro Z Series projectors – with 6,000 lumens color and white light output1, full high-definition, WUXGA resolution, 3LCD 3-chip technology and dual lamps. “Epson, which has a long-standing relationship with us, understood that our focus was not only the hardware, but also its many uses and how we manage the service, maintenance and duty cycles of the projector,” said Jarymovych.
Cenero, an audio-visual solutions provider based in Philadelphia, worked with Wharton to procure the projectors, replace previous models, install and maintain the new projection systems. “Cenero collaborates with Wharton to provide technical, educational and ecological initiatives using Epson products,” said Rob Gilfillan, president of Cenero, an Epson Pro AV Reseller. For building project and upgrade management services, Wharton relied on its real estate partner Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc. during the upgrade and opening of the new San Francisco building.
Production Ready
Today, the new Epson projectors are up and running throughout the school – in Wharton’s main facility, the Jon M. Huntsman Hall, and the Steinberg Conference Center on the Philadelphia campus, and at Hill’s Plaza, the new Wharton / San Francisco building. With Epson projectors, Wharton classrooms are helping create and support the school’s innovative learning environment and collaborative student experience.
“As planned, the Epson projectors are improving energy efficiencies over the previously installed units and have allowed us to easily transition from our analog legacy system to an all-digital control and A/V set up,” said Jarymovych. Epson’s Professional Pro Z Series projectors include efficiency features such as Direct On and Direct Off controls and dual lamps with up to 3500-hour lamp life in ECO Mode2. They also have a recommended 10,000-hour filter maintenance cycle3, liquid cooling system, advanced networking features, powered lens shift, and powered zoom and focus.
A key issue in purchasing the projectors was the need for high reliability, and an efficient service and maintenance program. “Projectors at Wharton are in continual use from early morning until midnight,” said Jarymovych. “Whether you’re showing Excel spreadsheets or videoconferencing a guest CEO from halfway around the world, technology failures are unacceptable. Epson has helped us improve the quality and longevity of our projectors, maximize our budget, and maintain them in a more efficient way.”
Bright Ideas
David Siedell, senior director of Wharton’s Public Technology group, credits Epson projectors for helping Wharton, as the world’s most comprehensive source of business knowledge, carry out collaborative, interactive learning with better display of multimedia content. “The big feedback this semester is how brilliant the projected image is, how the color and white light blends into the ambiance of each room,” he said. “Today’s faculty and students are even more attuned to the brightness and clarity of the image, so it’s important that Wharton projection technology stays a step ahead.”
With famous alumni like Donald Trump, Brian Roberts and Safra Catz, Wharton makes a huge impact on its students and the world of business they aspire to, so it’s no surprise that Epson Professional Pro Z Series projectors are a key feature in its classrooms and lecture halls. “Wharton has built its operations and curriculum around sharing information in multiple ways using the latest technologies,” said Siedell. “Our projectors are essential in teaching Wharton students how to analyze, understand and present information visually in today’s business world.”
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1 White and color light output will vary depending on mode selected. White light output measured using ISO 21118 standard.
2 Lamp life will vary depending upon mode selected, environmental conditions and usage. Lamp Brightness decreases over time.
3 Recommendation based on normal room conditions. Cleaning requirements may vary depending on use, environment and other conditions. Cleaning intervals may be adjusted to accommodate the environment in which the projector is used.