Proposal

1. University of Missouri–Saint Louis (UMSL)
Interoffice Memorandum
TO: University of Missouri–Saint Louis (UMSL) School Board
Cc: University of Missouri–Saint Louis (UMSL) Student Government; Intercampus Faculty
Counsel; Faculty Senate
FROM: Catherine Stanfield, UMSL Student
Business Administration
DATE: October 2, 2014
SUBJECT: Proposal of UMSL Clark Hall Classroom Technological Upgrades
Purpose of Proposal
I propose that Clark Hall of the University of Missouri–Saint Louis campus incorporates current
technology into the teaching and learning tools that are available to students and professors alike.
Clark Hall’s facilities, as well as the teaching and learning tools, are outmoded. University
education is about teaching students– our future– about life and what it will be like in their career
after attending UMSL. UMSL is also teaching our youth about everyday life in the future, as
well as the present. Most places of business do not use projection screens, nor chalk boards,
which is the media that the professors are provided. As a transfer student with my only on-
campus class being in Clark Hall, I believe I was given a depraved first impression of the
university as a whole. After conducting an on-campus anonymous poll involving UMSL
students who have taken classes in Clark Hall, it has been concluded that 58 out of the 60 of the
students surveyed agreed that Clark Hall’s learning tools are more archaic than their previous
college and/or high school.
Solution
Digital technological learning and teaching tools are now used as early as pre-school and
kindergarten. According to Learnatabc.com, learning centers for young children incorporate
interactive SMART boards and iPads into their everyday curriculum in order to prepare their
students for high school, college, and beyond. The University of Missouri–Saint Louis should

2. continue the high-tech based education that students have already received and mastered, and are
sure to be utilizing in the future.
Below are the costs associated with adding SMART boards and dry erase boards to each of the
11 outdated classrooms in Clark Hall on the UMSL campus, according to smarttech.com, the
makers of the original SMART board:
• SMART board (77in, 4:3 aspect ratio):
o $4,976.00/board
• Dry Erase Board (10’x4’):
o $413.96/board
• Professor SMART board training:
o Free webinars via SMART website
• Installation:
o $500/board or hourly salary for already employed maintenance
In addition, there are grant programs set in place for schools for technological upgrades, to which
can be applied for via smarttech.com. All school expenses are also tax exempt.
Conclusion
Students and professors alike will benefit from the modernization of Clark Hall. Prevailing
technological tools will make the position of teaching simpler for the professors. The
convenience of being able to use a dry erase board, as opposed to a chalkboard, will benefit
professors in their teaching; the process of writing will be faster, and the writing itself will be
easier to read, making the process more efficient. The different colored dry erase markers will
make differentiation involved in graphs and math problems sharper. Not to mention, the chalk
dust will no longer be a bother to the professors by getting filth on their clothes and dirtying their
hands. Students will be able to see the dry erase board more distinctly than the existing
chalkboards, and the leftover chalk erase marks will no longer be a problem for those students
with less-than-perfect vision.
SMART Boards will be ideal, so that students are prepared when their future career requires
them to submit presentations using advanced tools, such as SMART boards. Students will gain
digital presentation skills, which are sure to be an obligatory implement in their future careers, as
well as while pursuing their higher education. According to umsl.edu, many of the University’s
programs are top-rated, including the business and finance programs, among many others. It is

3. time UMSL makes all of the classrooms as technologically savvy as the website and
spokespersons make them appear when students are doing their research on which college to
attend.
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Addendum: bibliography

4. Bibliography
"Program Ranking." Program Ranking. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
"SMART Board 8070i Interactive Display System for Business." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web.
02 Oct. 2014.
"SMART Education." Education @ Smart Technologies. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.
"St. Charles, Lake St. Louis, O’Fallon, St. Peters, Wentzville." ABC Daycare and Learning
Center. Web. 02 Oct. 2014.