Montgomery College Reinvents its Board of Trustees Meeting Room with Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System

Located in Montgomery County, Maryland, Montgomery College offers the flexibility of three campuses, several off-site locations and a wide selection of online courses. Students can take classes part-time or full-time in more than 130 fields of credit study, or take individual classes outside of a degree program, sign up for general noncredit courses, and explore job training options. A core component to any University is a functioning Board of Trustees and a well-equipped boardroom to handle associated monthly meetings. Montgomery College is no different, and its boardroom audio setup needed a makeover.

The College’s boardroom features a main U-shaped discussion table that faces a panel of three executive seats. Behind the seats at the head of configuration, is an audience gallery. Prior to committing to a Shure system, the U-shaped table had a simple standalone microphone system, each mic standing directly on the flattop table in front of each participant. The Board wanted a more refined, aesthetic solution, but did not have the funds to purchase a brand new table that would cater to the new discussion system. Thus, Philip D’Souza—Sr. Media Resources Manager for Projects and Planning at Montgomery College—and Mediatech needed a flexible system that they could physically build into the existing table. Employing American Technical Furniture to build a beautiful “tech rail” on top of the existing table, D’Souza’s teammounted Shure’s DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System into the table.

Enabling meeting participants to hear each other clearly, across the room or to even remote locales, the Shure DDS 5900 flush-mounted system boasted a compact design and modular design—perfect for the boardroom. Additionally, the flexible solution provided D’Souza and his team the option to install the system vertically and easily into the tech rail with the cabling hidden below.

The individual request to speak buttons and LED lighted microphones allowed for controlled yet engaging dialogue amongst the board chairman and board members. Further, the USB inputs and associated touchscreens gave users everything they desired. All of this, combined with the aesthetic appeal of the setup and ability to meet budget made the installation extremely optimal and appreciated.

D’Souza and his team didn’t stop with the Shure DDS 5900. D’Souza also chose to install Shure Microflex® AdvanceTM ceiling array microphones above the audience gallery, enabling those individuals to feel engaged and involved in the discussion. From a remote perspective, the Shure solution made them feel as though they were truly a part of the conversations.