California State University, Fullerton - PRactical ADvantage

Industry Type

Education

Location

United States

Product

Laptops, Monitors

Ranked in Forbes’ Top Colleges, California State University fosters practical learning. Its PRAD agency trains 100+ future media professionals annually. Old equipment hindered production. Partnering with MSI, PRAD integrated AI-powered Prestige 16 laptops with Intel^® Core™ Ultra processors, reducing rendering times. Students now leverage advanced tools for faster, higher-quality content.

EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF MEDIA PROFESSIONALS WITH MSI AI-POWERED LAPTOPS

California State University, ranked among the Top 100 in Forbes’ 2025 America’s Top Colleges, is known for its commitment to academic excellence and real-world learning experiences. As part of this mission, Practical Advantage Communications (PRAD) serves as the university’s student-run media agency, providing hands-on training in strategic communications, digital marketing, and multimedia production. Established in 2011 under the Department of Communications, PRAD works with real-world clients across industries, preparing over 100 students annually for careers in media, advertising, and public relations. To maintain its reputation for industry-ready education, PRAD partnered with MSI to upgrade its technology infrastructure - ensuring that students have access to the cutting-edge tools that match the demands of today’s creative landscape.

ADDRESSING PERFORMANCE BOTTLENECKS

With the increasing demand for high-quality video content and digital media, PRAD’s outdated technology was becoming a major obstacle. “Our computer lab was operating with outdated iMacs,” explains Hagihara, Lecturer and Director of PRAD. “Students often relied on personal laptops, but those devices lacked the power to efficiently run modern creative applications like Adobe Creative Suite.” Slow rendering times and limited processing capabilities hindered productivity, forcing students to spend more time troubleshooting technical issues rather than focusing on their creative work.

To solve this challenge, PRAD integrated MSI Prestige 16 AI Studio and Prestige 16 AI Evo laptops, along with PRO MP251 monitors, into its workflow. Powered by Intel^® Core™ Ultra processors with AI-driven performance enhancements, these new devices provided an immediate boost in efficiency. “The new systems increase the productivity of students by allowing them to utilize the full capabilities of the Adobe Creative Suite and other advanced graphic design programs, and expanding the digital workspace over multiple monitors to increase efficiency.” With the increasing processing power, students can now create and edit high-resolution video content without bottlenecks. Rendering times have been reduced by 50%, allowing for faster turnaround on client projects and higher-quality deliverables.

A FUTURE-READY PARTNERSHIP

As digital media continues to evolve, PRAD recognizes the need of cutting-edge technology to keep pace with industry demands. “Providing up-to-date, business-class computing workstations in our computer lab is critical to ensuring that our students have comparable systems in the educational environment,” says Hagihara. “This will allow them to create professional-level content that will aptly prepare them to transition from student to professional.”

With MSI’s support, PRAD is now positioned to scale its capabilities and continue delivering high-impact, industry-standard work for its clients. “Many thanks to MSI for providing the Prestige 16 AI Studio and Prestige 16 AI Evo laptops that are giving the students the ability to use advanced technology to deliver professional-level content and service to our clients,” Hagihara adds.

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