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Campus Computing Report Gets Results Funding for Computing Needs Includes $1.75 Million to Departments
By Julia Sommer, Public Affairs At a Berkeley Multimedia Research Center retreat held on campus Jan. 13, Carol Christ, executive vice chancellor and provost, announced the response of the Chancellor's Cabinet, in consultation with the Academic Senate, to the Aug. 11 report of the Commission on Campus Computing. "The commission did a wonderful job and their recommendations have been very helpful," said Christ. The commission had proposed that, starting in the fall of 2000, all students be required to own a computer with a recommended set of capabilities. That issue has been referred to the Office of Undergraduate Affairs to determine its impact on financial aid. The cabinet, Christ said, has decided against the creation of a new position of Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Technology. Instead it recommended a new ET position to report to both the Library and Information Systems & Technology (IST). The Aug. 11 commission report also called for the Chancellor to provide $1.75 million annually to departmental operating budgets for hardware, software, and technical support. The cabinet, in response, has set aside $750,000 for the 1998-1999 academic year and $1 million for next year. The cabinet adopted the commission's complex and urgent recommendations for upgrading the overloaded campus network, detailed in item no. 13 of the Aug. 11 report. As for other commission funding requests, the Chancellor has allocated $500,000 toward providing all students with a computer account for their entire campus career. IST is developing this system for implementation in the fall. The classroom technology project will receive $600,000; the Geographical Information Systems Center, $500,000; the new computing facility in Barrows Hall, $157,000; and a computer lab in Moffitt Library, to open this summer, $295,000. Christ noted that all 240 general assignment classrooms now have access ports and that the Library is testing a docking facility for laptop computers. As recommended, a skeleton web page has been created for each class and linked to relevant student databases. The Chancellor's Computer and Communications Policy Board will oversee computing, communications and educational technology services provided centrally on campus, while its Instructional Technology committee will develop computer and information literacy standards and training for students. While the Commission on Campus Computing addressed academic concerns, a parallel task force is being set up to look at the computing needs of administrative units, student services and the library. The commission's Aug. 11 report can be found at http://www.chance.berkeley.edu/evcp/COCC.Report.html.
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