Blackboard Hosts Inaugural Middle East Summit in Dubai, September 5 - 6, 2007
New Right-to-Left Language Capabilities Support ArabicWASHINGTON, DC, Aug 08, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB), a leading provider of educational
technology, announced today that it will host its first Middle East
Summit on September 5 and 6th at Dubai Men's College, Higher Colleges
of Technology (HCT). The HCT is a 14-campus system serving 18,000
students across the region.
The Blackboard Middle East Summit will bring together delegates
spanning eight countries including Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudia
Arabia and The United Arab Emirates, among others, to learn about
innovations in e-Learning. Blackboard President and CEO Michael
Chasen will deliver the conference keynote address about e-Learning
trends such as the use of Web 2.0 technology in education, and
present new Blackboard product innovations including SafeAssign(TM),
a new plagiarism prevention service. The Minister of Education, His
Excellency, Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan has provided ongoing
support for the summit, with the goal of opening a dialogue with
academic leaders across the Middle East.
As part of Blackboard's ongoing commitment to furthering education in
the region, last month, new right-to-left language capabilities were
unveiled as part of the Blackboard e-Learning platform to support
Arabic.
"It is very exciting to work with academic institutions around the
world, to learn about different cultures and education systems and
help provide technology to continually expand educational
opportunities," said Chasen. "We look forward to continuing to build
upon the relationships we have formed in the Middle East, and other
parts of the world to enhance teaching and learning for people
everywhere."
More than thirty academic institutions spanning eight countries in
the Middle East rely on Blackboard technology. To expand its
international business and support growth in the Middle East,
Blackboard is proud to work with partners Edutech Middle East,
General Computers & Electronics (GCE) and Integrated Solutions for
Business (ISB). All have long-standing and successful relationships
with Blackboard and academic institutions across the region.
For more information on the Blackboard Middle East Summit, please
visit http://www.blackboard.com/company/events/bbsummitme07/index.htm.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) is a leading provider of enterprise
software applications and related services to the education industry.
Founded in 1997, Blackboard enables educational innovations
everywhere by connecting people and technology. Millions of people
use Blackboard everyday at academic institutions around the globe,
including colleges, universities, K-12 schools and other education
providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused
merchants that serve education providers and their students.
Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in
North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
www.blackboard.com
Blackboard
Educate. Innovate. Everywhere.(TM)
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans
and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words
"believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar
expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning
of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual
results may differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors,
including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our
Form 10-Q filed on May 4, 2007 with the SEC. In addition, the
forward-looking statements included in this press release represent
the Company's views as of August 7, 2007. The Company anticipates
that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's
views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking
statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's
views as of any date subsequent to August 7, 2007.
Senior Manager Public Relations at Blackboard:
Melissa Chotiner
Blackboard Inc.
202-463-4860 ext. 2404
Email Contact
Media Contact, Fleishman-Hillard:
Amy Storey
Fleishman-Hillard Inc.
+1 202 828-8819
Email Contact
SOURCE: Blackboard Inc.