INTRODUCTION:
Liberty University is a private evangelical university founded in 1971 that is home to more than 115,000 residential and online students. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, the university has over 7,000 acres dedicated to its campus. It supports a very active and engaged student body that features Division I athletic programs, over 100 student-run clubs, and multiple weekly student activities.
THE CHALLENGE:
Due to the size of its campus, Liberty University is always looking for lasting solutions that provide reliability and do not need to be replaced often. Christopher Wilson and Jonathan Bennefield in the IT Infrastructure and Media Ops Department and Michael Gerringer from the Broadcast – Engineering team came together to implement a steady technology backbone for the campus that they could build upon.
THE SOLUTION:
For the past several years, Crestron DigitalMedia™ technology has been used consistently across campus enabling students and faculty to smoothly present and share content without interruptions. The Liberty Flames athletic teams are popular on campus, so when there was a need for an exciting way to drum up enthusiasm at these events, Crestron DM NVX® AV-over-IP technology was the perfect solution.
THE TECHNOLOGY:
Liberty’s football stadium has a large number of Crestron DM NVX endpoints used to control audio and video throughout the entire stadium. These large venues become crowded quickly during games, but students can always see the action on the large screen without missing a beat. The success of the football stadium drove the decision to bring DM NVX into the basketball arena.
The new basketball arena has Crestron DM NVX solutions integrated with intelligent lighting, court projections, and audio playout systems. With young student workers helping to manage the technology at events, the interface and control needs to be as seamless as possible. Therefore, Liberty designed their own control interface on the Crestron touch screens to make it simple to find specific buttons even under the pressure of a live game.
Crestron DM NVX is consistently installed across the Liberty University campus to provide stability and reliability. The solution’s flexibility and speed are extremely beneficial. A multicast signal is critical for a campus this size to guarantee that announcements are displayed for everyone to see.
Classrooms at Liberty University utilize Crestron technology for ease of use and collaboration among faculty and students. Crestron DigitalMedia™ Presentation Systems make connecting and presenting in the classroom effortless. With the simple touch of a button on the Crestron touch screens, any professor or student can present with complete confidence.
RESULTS:
Liberty University has been able to create exciting experiences for learning in the classroom and enjoying an unforgettable game-day experience with Crestron technology. “Crestron DigitalMedia provides us with a platform that is dependable across our campus and is versatile enough to support our students whether they are in the classroom or enjoying one of our athletics events,” says Gerringer.
A graduate of DeVry Institute of Technology, Doug has been in the Technology industry since 1976 and actively oversees Fearing’s daily operations. Along with his wife, Lois, and three others, Doug started Fearing’s in a 600 square-foot facility in Portage, Wisconsin. In the 25 years since, the company has grown to over 30 employees with offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Doug likes to say he’s a “TV Technician with a dream� going back to his history with the family’s original business-Fearing’s TV and Appliance.
Doug values time with family, watersports, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing. In addition to being a devoted member of his church, Doug serves as Board President for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County, Board member of Schools for Haiti and Scripture Chair of the Gideons-Portage camp.
A graduate of MATC, Lois oversees Fearing’s daily book keeping along with various HR responsibilities.
Along with Doug, Lois is deeply connected to community outreach, serving as a Board member and Fundraising Committee Chairperson for Kinship Mentoring of Columbia County. She also serves on the Schools for Haiti Fundraising committee. In addition, Lois’ ongoing passion and commitment to provide care for the elderly comes from her 10-year history of working in a Reedsburg, Wisconsin Nursing home.
Lois enjoys singing, hiking, sunny days on the pontoon, and spending time with her 4 grandchildren.
Ehren drives Fearing’s technology by continually seeking out trends to enhance capabilities while supporting Sales, Engineering and Installation teams. Throughout his years with Fearing’s, Ehren’s talent and vision have joined forces to create a wide variety of projects and strategic solutions that exceed expectation.
Ehren loves music, family time, movies, nature, sustainability efforts and electric vehicles.
With 10 years with Fearing’s and over twice that long in the industry, Ben continues to lead, coordinate, and develop the Commercial AV team.
By consistently delivering an outstanding experience and outcome, Ben contributes to the Fearing’s legacy of long-lasting partnerships that truly make a difference. Whatever the Commercial AV need may be, Ben and team deliver at the highest level.
Ben is an avid fisherman and photographer. He enjoys coaching his sons and other youth.
Chris has been with Fearing’s for 20 years and in the industry for over 2 decades. As a Certified leader in Sales Acceleration and trained in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating Systems), Chris successfully utilizes his skills to lead the Fearing’s Salesforce. Chris and team are motivated and driven to develop new client partnerships while continuing to reinforce loyal long-term relationships with ongoing Service excellence.
Married for 19 years with 3 children, Chris enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, camping and golf. He’s also been actively involved as a Youth Football and Softball coach for his family and others.
