Two weeks ago, the Zurack Family High-Technology Collaboration Center opened in Glenn G. Bartle Library after a donation was made from Binghamton University alum Mark Zurack.
Zurack graduated from BU in 1978, and went on to work at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. before leaving the firm to teach at both Columbia Business School and Cornell University as an adjunct professor. Andrew Tucci, the director of the Educational Communications Center at BU, said that Zurack made the donation to help further learning as well as increase communication between the University and others.
“Mark was very interested in developing a space that would be both a space for alumni to reach into the University remotely, as well as a space to help students get to the next level of active learning,” Tucci said.
The purpose of the room, according to Tucci, is to provide a space in which any place in the world can be reached through web-conferencing, and to refine and improve active learning in the classroom. The room is equipped with high-level communication technology systems, such as the SX80 system, which allows for multiple people to connect at a very high resolution and has cameras that can find and focus on individuals speaking in the room.
“They’re basically the Google of networking infrastructure,” Tucci said, referring to Cisco, the maker of the SX80 system.
Classes from all departments at BU are currently able use the room for innovative, communication-based learning. Professors can schedule classes in the room by giving a pitch to the Center for Learning and Teaching on how they will utilize the space for active learning. It is also equipped with walls that can be written on safely with dry-erase markers.
The room is not limited to class use and is used for programs around campus, including the “Cool Connections, Hot Alumni” alumni speaker series. Each semester, more than 30 alumni talk to students about their careers, although some speakers are limited by distance. The new technology at the center can reach any country in the world.
Zurack has donated a significant amount of money to the University in the past, particularly to the School of Management’s finance program. The Zurack Scholars Program and the Zurack Trading Room both bare his name in honor of those donations.
In conjunction with the opening of the Zurack Family High-Technology Collaboration Center, part of Zurack’s donation went toward the opening of the Zurack Family Group Study Room, which is located in the Newcomb Reading Room in Bartle Library. This room is dedicated to making group work accessible and innovative, and is open to all students during library hours.
“The intention of the Group Study Room is to provide a space for students to do collaborative work,” said Jill Dixon, director of public services for the libraries. “They can bring their laptops, their phones, any device and plug into a television screen and share with other students.”
The Group Study Room features cutting-edge technology, similar to that of the center, but on a smaller scale. Kristie Bonifazio, a senior majoring in nursing, said that the added technology can be beneficial for studying.
“I can see why it would be helpful for having a group project,” Bonifazio said. “All this equipment here, they don’t have in any of the other group rooms.”