[DG: Open Forum] Fwd: Important Communication from Blackboard

[Nicola Monat-Jacobs]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Michael Chasen <blackboard at blackboard.com>
> Date: May 6, 2009 4:18:32 PM EDT
> Subject: Important Communication from Blackboard
> Reply-To: CEO at blackboard.com
>
>
> I'm writing today to communicate the news that Blackboard has  
> acquired ANGEL Learning and to share with you some of the thinking  
> behind the combination.
>
> Why put these two organizations together? This combination was about  
> getting better. At Blackboard we're always trying to improve, both  
> by focusing internally within our company and by looking externally  
> to other organizations we admire, like ANGEL. We admire them not  
> just for their story of entrepreneurial growth and impact on  
> teaching and learning, but also for very specific strengths that we  
> wanted to add to our story and deliver to our clients:
>
> - The first is their customer support culture that has translated  
> into consistently excellent experiences for ANGEL clients. We can  
> learn from their skill in this area and add their know-how to the  
> ever improving client support capability we're building here at  
> Blackboard.
>
> - The second is their history of innovation - especially in the  
> areas of user experience, teaching and learning tools and course- 
> based assessment. Independently our two offerings have led the way  
> in a lot of areas. Now we have the opportunity to bring these  
> strengths together for the benefit of learners in our Project NG  
> vision for the future of the Blackboard platform.
>
> From ANGEL's perspective, and especially in today's economic  
> environment, joining these strengths with Blackboard's own  
> innovation, industry leadership and financial stability also made a  
> lot of sense.
>
> At the ANGEL Users Conference in Chicago next week we'll be talking  
> about how the solutions will come together and will send you an  
> update after we get back. The short story is that ANGEL's latest  
> release, ANGEL LMS 7.4 which launched last week, will continue as  
> planned. In parallel we'll set about the work of bringing the  
> product innovations of both companies to the new combined client  
> community.
>
> As we move forward and knit our organizations together, we’ll  
> continue to be very focused on the client experience. That means  
> drawing on what we’ve learned from previous integrations and  
> minimizing distractions while weaving the best of ANGEL into the  
> tangible value you get from working with us every day. More than  
> anything, today’s news directly supports our top goal of continuing  
> to bring clear added value to your investment in Blackboard.
>
> You can learn more at www.blackboard.com/angel [http://www.blackboard.com/angel 
> ] , but please feel free to contact me (CEO at blackboard.com) or your  
> Blackboard representative if you have any questions or comments.
>
> In closing, thank you once again for your institution's partnership  
> with us. We look forward to showing you the benefits of this latest  
> step in our ongoing effort to be a stronger, more flexible and  
> creative supporter of your teaching and learning goals for the near  
> and long term.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Michael Chasen
> President & CEO
> Blackboard
>

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