Turner College Unveils New Classroom to Honor Bill Hamilton

Thanks to a generous donation from Jackie Hamilton, to honor her father Bill Hamilton, a retired professor of management and the first MBA Program Director in the Turner College, the Turner College proudly unveiled a state-of-the-art synchronous classroom on the third floor of the Synovus Center on CSU's main campus. The room is equipped with technology that makes it possible for students joining a class remotely to have as full a learning experience as those who are physically in the room. Large screens are dedicated to each remote student with separate cameras and microphones. In addition, the classroom has several breakout rooms that allow small groups of students (both in person and remote) to hold discussions and work on projects together without the distractions of the noise from other groups. "We want to preserve what is truly special about learning at a university - the interactions between students and the faculty member teaching a class as well as the interactions and learning that comes from peers when interacting in real-time. Ideally, all of our classrooms would be equipped with this technology, so if a student is sick or away on a business trip, they can still attend class," Turner College Dean Deb Kidder explained. Thanks to the new technology available in the classroom, if a student is unable to make it during the class period, they would be able to access a recording that captures all the learning value as if they had been able to attend. "Interacting effectively with others in a virtual environment is a critical career-ready skill. Corporate America utilizes similar technology to connect with employees around the globe, and we want our students to develop this skill before they graduate," Kidder added. Bill Hamilton is now an emeritus professor at CSU. He earned a B.S. and an MBA from Mississippi State University, and a DBA from Louisiana Tech University. He joined the CSU faculty in 1973.