Blackboard Announces New National Partners and Participating Campuses for Student Payment Solution
Chipotle, Denny's(R) Join BbOne(SM) Off Campus Payment ProgramWASHINGTON, DC, Sep 15, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB), a leading provider of educational
enterprise technology, announced new national partners and
participating campuses for its BbOne(SM) off campus payment solution,
which enables millions of student transactions each year.
A fully integrated, cashless program, BbOne makes off campus
transactions more convenient and secure by adding a powerful debit
account to the university identification cards that students, faculty
and staff carry with them every day. Students and their parents can
add funds to the accounts and monitor purchases that can be made on
campus and off campus at one of more than 1,400 participating program
vendors.
In the last year, nearly 20 different colleges, universities and K-12
institutions have adopted BbOne, bringing the total number of
participating institutions to more than 80 and adding nearly 100,000
students to the program.
Some of the recent campuses joining the BbOne network include
Columbia University, Phillips Academy Andover, Santa Clara University,
the University of Arkansas, the University of Toledo, Utah State
University, and Xavier University. Since implementation of the BbOne
program earlier this spring, Columbia University has already
experienced tremendous positive student feedback.
"Our students have been extremely pleased with the flexibility that
our Off-Campus Flex program has brought to their lives," said Michael
J. Novielli, Chief of Administration, Student Auxiliary and Business
Services at Columbia University. "Through our partnership with BbOne,
we have grown the program to include 40 local businesses in just five
months."
Blackboard also announced several major new partnerships with
national vendors who will accept payment through the BbOne program,
including Campusfood.com, Chipotle, Denny's(R) Restaurants, and
Brinker International, which operates Chili's(R) Restaurants and On
The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina(R) locations. The new program
partners join other national merchants that participate in BbOne
including CVS(R). The program also features the participation of
hundreds of locally owned independent stores.
"We are very excited to welcome our new BbOne campuses and merchant
partners," said David Marr, President and Chief Operating Officer of
Blackboard Transact. "BbOne allows institutions to dramatically
heighten the level of service to their students, faculty and staff,
while also increasing the reach and effectiveness of their card
program resulting in additional discretionary deposits, earned
interest and transaction revenue."
BbOne is part of Blackboard's complete commerce management solution
that provides hundreds of institutions with the technology to
effectively manage payment on campus, off campus, and online. In
addition, Blackboard also provides security management solutions
including video surveillance, access control, and mass notification.
For more information about BbOne and Blackboard's other campus
payment and security solutions, please visit
http://www.blackboard.com/commerce.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise
technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of
millions of students and learners around the world every day.
Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12,
professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend
teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and
security, and communicate more effectively with their communities.
Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C.,
with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
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 August 7, 2008 with the SEC. In addition, the
forward-looking statements included in this press release represent
the Company's views as of September 15, 2008. 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 September 15, 2008.
CONTACTS:
Matthew Maurer
Blackboard Inc.
(202) 463-4860 ext. 2637
matthew.maurer@blackboard.com
Amy Storey
Fleishman-Hillard Inc.
(202) 828-8819
storeya@fleishman.com
SOURCE: Blackboard Inc.