Snead State Community College Enhances Historic Auditorium with Middle Atlantic Forum Lectern

Challenge

Snead State Community College has been a cornerstone of the Boaz, Alabama, community since 1898. Once a seminary, the college now enrolls about 4,500 students and is one of the 24 community colleges in Alabama’s Community College System. Its historic campus includes Fielder Auditorium, built in 1921. The auditorium is known for its decorative period architecture, including ornate molding and leaded glass windows.

However, the auditorium’s AV presentation setup contrasted with its grandeur. A makeshift wooden structure served as the stage lectern. The existing lectern wasn't meeting the mark aesthetically or functionally for a venue that hosted everything from faculty lectures and student speeches to concerts and drama performances. It lacked AV storage, proper cable management, accessibility, and security.

Updating this vital structure was important for Andrew Higgins, Snead State’s Director of Information Technology. He saw it as an essential step in amping up the school’s prestige and better supporting the auditorium AV and presenters. The space needed a purpose-built AV lectern that he hoped could be used across the campus.

His vision for the new lectern was clear: It needed to complement the architectural elegance of the auditorium, be mobile, reliably and securely support modern AV equipment, and meet ADA accessibility standards to ensure that anyone could use it comfortably.

Solution

Higgins consulted with Legrand | AV representatives and discussed the Forum™ Lectern from Middle Atlantic as a solution. The Forum Lectern is part of the award-winning Forum Collaboration Suite that also includes Display Stands and Tables. Designed around integrator feedback, it is ADA-compliant and height-adjustable to meet the needs of any user in any learning or meeting space. Available in 42-inch (106.7cm), 60-inch (152cm), and 72-inch (182.9cm) widths and in four colorways using popular Wilsonart® laminate designs, it matches today’s modern style as well as existing Forum products so that it can be installed in the same spaces for a cohesive design. It can be configured with a flat worksurface or turret worksurface, which includes a Presenter's Panel™ to mount control system touch panels, table boxes, brush grommets for cable management, and more. The offering also includes worksurface power options for power, data, and connectivity. There is an optional coordinating 12RU, 16RU or 20RU Forum Side Rack and 6RU Undermount Rack for extra equipment storage. It is compatible with Chief monitor arms and Wiremold and Connectrac raceway systems to manage cables/power running from or to the lectern. Finally, it features a customizable logo panel option with four sizes for branding the lectern with the school or organization's logo. In addition, Legrand | AV has made it fast and easy to order the lectern with an enhanced website selection experience.

Results

The Forum Lectern stood out not only for its educator-inspired design but also for its thoughtful AV features that were perfectly suited to the needs of Snead State’s historic auditorium. Its height adjustability would accommodate any user comfortably — a marked improvement over the previous, outdated setup. 

“We can raise or lower it (28"/71cm to 42"/107cm) to fit the needs of any user,” Higgins explained. “What sets the Forum apart is its premium quality — a big step above a standard lectern. For example, the surge protector attaches so seamlessly that it feels like a natural part of the lectern, and it’s very secure. The Side Rack lets us install equipment properly while keeping it concealed. It also was available in colors that complemented the auditorium.”

The Forum Lectern’s mobility allows Snead State to move the lectern for other events around campus, making it a versatile choice. Higgins selected the turreted option to mount the auditorium’s gooseneck microphone, with plans to add a Crestron control panel for even more functionality. Its built-in rack provides secure storage for the auditorium’s HDMI transmitter, microphone cable, and other components.

The Forum Lectern has not only enhanced the aesthetics of Fielder Auditorium but also streamlined management. The tech team can easily pop off the front panel, which is secured with a lock and key, for quick access to install and maintain components.

Since deploying the Forum Lectern at the school, Higgins has moved it to support other events across campus, including the grand opening of the $45-million Workforce and Training Development Center, attended by over 400 people.

"Dr. Joe Whitmore, our President, is very pleased with how it looks and the distinction it brings to our events," Higgins said. "It’s always valuable to put our school logo on anything we can—it’s a strong reminder to students and visitors that this is their school. And it looks fantastic.”

Snead State’s early adoption of the Forum Lectern was influenced by Higgins’ longstanding relationship with Legrand | AV and Middle Atlantic, whom he has trusted in his long career working in higher education as a systems consultant and instructional technology staff.

“I already spec Middle Atlantic and Chief products, Vaddio cameras, Luxul switches, and Da-Lite projection screens,” said Higgins. “It’s great that I can go to Legrand | AV for many solutions, support, and service.”

Looking forward, Higgins plans to include additional Forum family options as Snead State undergoes further updates.

“We just got approved to renovate another auditorium,” said Higgins. “We’ll definitely be putting a Forum Lectern in there. It’s a touch of elegance that raises our profile.”

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