Immersive experiences via the metaverse, where people can meet through avatars in a virtual environment, are no longer exclusive to online gamers and they are growing in popularity. Tech giants like Meta and Microsoft are betting on people spending more time in virtual environments—the metaverse is predicted to become an $800 billion industry in 2024—and so is the University of Miami Patti and Allan Business School.
In partnership with ENGAGE, a business-focused metaverse platform designed for corporations, professionals, education organizations, and event organizers to create their own virtual worlds, Miami Herbert has carved out a slice of real estate in the metaverse with the goal of evolving the way it communicates and engages current and prospective students. ENGAGE is divided into locations called Plazas, and Miami Herbert is located in the Education Plaza.
The virtual and immersive space is designed as an airport terminal and focuses on taking students on an interactive journey allowing them to engage with Miami Herbert art, lectures, and faculty from anywhere in the world. The airport concept is meant to inspire exploration and adventure—elements of higher education that await them when they arrive at Miami Herbert Business School.
“As a business school, it is important that we explore new technologies and their potential to change not only how we communicate but also recruit and retain our students,” said John Quelch, dean of Miami Herbert.
Zheng Fan, executive director of information technology at Miami Herbert, initiated and led this early metaverse initiative and hopes on expanding it.
“We are excited to partner with ENGAGE, a leading provider of enterprise metaverse platforms," said Zheng. And we look forward to expanding our metaverse presence to allow our faculty to deliver courses that will allow our students to learn and to prepare for the metaverse economy."
David Whelan, CEO and co-founder of ENGAGE, said the evolution of the platform is lending itself to different audiences and experiences.
“The metaverse is often perceived as an entertainment platform, but at ENGAGE, we see education as a huge opportunity in the metaverse where we can help provide students with fully immersive experiences that take learning to the next level,” said Whelan. “Miami Herbert is at the forefront of advanced learning and their presence in ENGAGE will give their students a unique opportunity to expand and diversify their business school experience.”
Begin your journey through Miami Herbert’s metaverse, here.
