­­ Brent Keith – Strategic Sales Supervisor

To offer the latest in telecommunications services to businesses large and small, it takes a state-of-the-art network as well as a trusted partner in developing solutions that best fit the current and future needs of the customer.

For Lees-McRae College, SkyLine’s Brent Keith worked in close partnership with the college’s Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs Suzette Fronk to solve a variety of communications–related needs.

The private college, set in the heart of Banner Elk and graced with historic, native stone structures, is celebrating major milestones in 2015, including its 25th year as a four-year institution and breaking the 1,000 enrollment mark for the first time in its 115-year history. Led by current President Barry Buxton, the college has made additional significant strides in recent years. While honoring the tradition of serving the educational needs of the mountain region and offering such established programs as Performing Arts Studies, which provides students real-world experience of working with a professional company through Summer Theatre, Lees-McRae has garnered national attention for its wildlife rehabilitation program, which is the only one of its kind in the nation. Another significant benchmark has been the decennial reaffirmation of its regional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and Schools, and in July, the college was noted in People magazine for being a pet-friendly campus.

Early in Dr. Buxton’s presidency, Fronk said the college established several strategic initiatives, one of which involved telecommunications. “In my role of overseeing Business Affairs, I felt this was an initiative I had to lead. Early on, we had an issue regarding Caller ID delivery—this particular feature is especially important to our Admissions and Advancement offices as they reach out to potential students, alumni and supporters. Brent coordinated the effort to address it, which involved a different equipment vendor’s software, and stayed on top of the issue until it was completed resolved.”

­­ SkyLine’s Brent Keith worked with Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs Suzette Fronk to address a variety of communications-related needs.

Working with Keith and the Business Sales staff, Fronk secured greater savings for the college on its long-distance service and competitive rates for broadband connectivity.But one of Lees-McRae’s most pressing needs was to replace its outdated PBX with a new phone system that would not become obsolete in the short term. According to Keith, “It was clear that the c­ollege needed a solution that was not only suited to their need for efficiency and functionality but one that could provide the scalability that a growing college demands. The MITEL VoIP solution is ideal for customers like LMC by allowing seamless, scalable communications across their campus and making an already efficient organization even more so.”

Fronk added, “In today’s environment, we all have more responsibilities with fewer people, and technology helps us to better manage those responsibilities. The efficiencies of technologies are so important, including the conferencing capabilities of this new system. Working in partnership with SkyLine, we have addressed all four directives of our initiative to update and improve telecommunications campus-wide.”

These telecommunications improvements complement the college’s newest baccalaureate program to be introduced—the May School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Giving students unparalleled interdisciplinary experience, this one facility boasts $1.2 million in technology including the multi-faceted Hart Simulation Center, which features 3G wireless human simulators and an in-patient hospital unit. The simulation center was recently designated a Gaumard Premiere site, one of only 33 in the country.

As demand for jobs in healthcare remains strong nationwide, Lees-McRae is also honoring its early history by reintroducing nursing into the curriculum and preparing the next generation of health sciences professionals.