Industry News

Bankruptcy Court Accepts Educause Bid for NMC Assets

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/15/18

The metaphorical gavel has fallen, and a new chapter has begun for the many assets of the New Media Consortium. On Valentine's Day a bankruptcy court judgment in Sacramento accepted a $55,000 bid from Educause for NMC's Horizon projects, trademarks, membership and subscriber lists, internet domain, phone number, goodwill and furniture and fixtures. What happens next is a matter for debate; however, Educause leadership said it would check in with "community leaders" to map out next steps.

Educause is a higher education technology and IT association based in Louisville, CO. Through the years Educause had worked with NMC on multiple projects, the most recent expected to be its annual Horizon Report for higher ed, originally due in March during the SXSW edu conference.

"The NMC gave voice to a remarkable community of educators and innovators and grew thoughtfully over the past two decades, addressing some of the toughest challenges in teaching and learning and offering important insights on the future of education technology," said Educause CEO and President, John O'Brien, in prepared remarks. "Given our shared interest in this work and our respect for the NMC community, we offered to purchase NMC assets, and the court agreed that it was in the best interests of the organization and the community to accept our offer. With the bankruptcy proceedings behind us, we know that the community will be interested in our plans for the future. We intend to connect and consult with community leaders as we determine the next steps forward — and to do so with the care and thoughtfulness that this community has come to expect."