Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 20, 2001

April 5-6, 2001 Richardson, Texas

Thanks to the rapid advances in communications technology, the business of education will never be the same again.

When the Alliance for Higher Education opens its new Center for Collaborative Learning, Research and Communications Technology on The University of Texas at Dallas campus on April 5, there are plans for Texas Governor Rick Perry to appear live as a holographic-like image at the Alliance during a "teleportation^TM" from Austin.

According to Dr. Allan Watson, President of the Alliance, "teleportation^TM" is a newly-patented technology that "surpasses the familiar Star Trek and Star Wars images. It is a unique teleconferencing technology that provides audio, visual and interactive projection of a person (digital image) who has eye contact with viewers at several sites.

"The visual and audio human contact provided with this technology is something you have to see and experience before you can really grasp the potential. There are times when you forget that the image is not physically present," adds Watson. The system also allows for the simultaneous transfer of data, materials and other images like video clips from the Internet.

The Alliance for Higher Education, a 36-year old pioneer in distance education, will also be dedicating the new Cecil and Ida Green Education and Information Network and celebrating the launch of the Alliance Internet2 GigaPoP, one of two "points of presence" in Texas – there are 27 in the United States – designed as a high-capacity, regional, advanced network aggregation point.

Dr. Douglas E. Van Houweling, President and CEO of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) will be a guest speaker for the GigaPoP launch.

Jim Adams, retired Chairman of the Board for Texas Instruments Incorporated will be speaking on site in Richardson to address issues from the Special Commission on 21^st Century Colleges and Universities.

The Alliance will be hosting numerous local and national dignitaries during the morning groundbreaking event and luncheon. There will be demonstrations of several distance education technologies that the Alliance provides to both its education and corporate members. These include video streaming over the Internet, two-way/audio-video teleconferencing and Internet2, the next generation Internet -- designed for research and distance education.

Texas Instruments was one of the original founders of the Alliance for Higher Education in the 1960’s when engineering courses were first broadcast throughout the Metroplex by TAGER (The Association for Graduate Education and Research). Now known as the Cecil and Ida Green Education and Information Network, the original TAGER has evolved into a high- speed, interactive broadband system that can accommodate distance learning throughout the world.

Other key participants include Phil Ritter, Vice President, Public Affairs for Texas Instruments Incorporated; George Bramblett, Jr., with the law firm of Haynes & Boone in Dallas; and Dr. Franklin Jenifer, President of The University of Texas at Dallas.

An invitational conference, co-sponsored by UCAID will be held the following day on April 6 at the Alliance for Higher Education and The University of Texas at Dallas. The conference is designed to encourage collaboration among universities and corporations to develop Internet2 applications and partnerships.

For more information call the Alliance for Higher Education Marketing and Public Affairs Office at 972-713-8170.

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