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International Horizons College in Dubai Develops a Worldwide Academic Model Powered by Polycom Video Collaboration Solutions
Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Building partnerships with US universities, the college offers a two-year honors program with an American curriculum
 
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Jun 25, 2013: Polycom, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLCM), the global leader in open standards-based unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), today announced that International Horizons College is using Polycom video collaboration solutions to hold faculty meetings, interview professors and students, and create collaborative teaching programs with colleges and universities in the USA.
 
Based in Dubai, International Horizons College (IHC) is licensed and accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.  IHC is a highly selective independent and international undergraduate institution committed to fulfilling high standards of academic excellence and relevancy to the 21st century.   It provides high academically performing students from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region with an American-style college education in arts, sciences and pre-professional studies. IHC students complete their first two years in Dubai and can complete the final two years at top ranked US and regional universities.
 
As Michael Dobe, PhD, President of International Horizons College, explained, Polycom video collaboration technology has been part of the project from the beginning: “I’ve been a Polycom video user for years, and it was imperative to me to use Polycom collaborative solutions as part of the IHC project.  As we are creating an American-style elite liberal arts college in Dubai, we need to connect regularly with the States, and the best way is using Polycom.”
 
IHC chose to implement Polycom as a managed Video-as-a-Service (VaaS) delivered by Polycom local partner FVC.  Polycom® RealPresence® HDX® video systems equipped with Polycom® EagleEye™ Director cameras in the classrooms are connected to the cloud-based Polycom® RealPresence® Collaboration Server and Polycom® RSS™ recording and streaming software, delivered as a service by FVC.  
 
Today the faculty also uses video for staff meetings, with professors dialing in from anywhere using Polycom® RealPresence® Desktop 3.0 software on their laptops.  Another Polycom video-enabled application is recruiting new professors from the US; conducting interviews over video eliminates the cost and time of travel for in-person interviews and provides a far richer interview experience than voice alone. Any hiring committee members unable to attend an interview can review the recorded version later streamed from the cloud-hosted Polycom RSS.
 
The college is currently working on developing partnerships with colleges in the United States for the benefit of students. The first partnership is with a two-year college in California to provide students with pathways into the prestigious University of California system (UC Berkeley, UCLA and six other top ranked universities).  “With Polycom video collaboration solutions in our global classrooms, the possibilities are endless,” said Dr. Dobe, who actively encourages IHC students, faculty and staff to use Polycom video collaboration solutions for co-teaching, guest lecturers, and research programs.
 
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Douglas Fearing- Co-Founder / President

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.

Lois Fearing- Co-Founder/Accounting, Human Resources

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 Tresner-VP of Technology and Innovation

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.

Ben Voeck-Director of Commercial AV

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 Matson-Senior VP of Sales

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.