Overview of Current Wells Computing and Planning, August, 1997

(Memo to Industrial Media and Magic, August 15, 1997)

Prepared by Kimberly Cherry, Kenneth Larson, and Arnold Shilepsky

Dean Ellen Hall has asked us and Head Librarian Jeri Vargo to send you information about the current state of computing and computer planning at Wells. Jeri Vargo has assembled a set of materials relating to Library computing; attached are other materials documenting campus-wide computer planning and implementation.

This month we are finishing a large project of deploying network-capable computers to faculty and replacing some staff machines with more capable ones. As part of this project, forty computers with printers have been deployed so far this summer, with another ten to be deployed within the next weeks. This project nearly fulfills a long-standing goal of providing faculty with computers in their offices. Among our other immediate goals is to purchase computers for classrooms, along with projection capability.

Our goals over the past several years have included:

1. To create and support network services :

   • Leased-line access to the Internet (currently 56K)
   • Email server (currently c. 550 student, faculty, staff, office, and organization accounts)
   • Web server (www.wells.edu)
   • Dial-in server (currently supports pool of 8 modems)

   [Among remaining goals: add Library OPAC and expanded Web services]

    

2. To expand infrastructure for access to the campus network:

   • Connected six buildings to the central hub in Main Building with campus backbone
   • Wired three buildings completely and three partially for Ethernet access; currently 149 computers connected directly to the Ethernet with another 18 through an AppleTalk gateway
   • Laid conduit for connecting most of the remaining building to the campus backbone

   [Among remaining goals: connect all buildings to the campus backbone and wire all buildings including residence halls for Ethernet]

    

3. To expand the number and quality of computers, software, and peripherals for faculty and staff:

   • Provided first network-capable, reasonably powerful computers to faculty offices (Summer, 1997) [some faculty offices had received Macintosh Classics the previous year and a few had received IBM 386SXs earlier]
   • Moved to standardized software (Microsoft Office and a suite of Internet applications)

   [Among remaining goals: provide network-capable computers running all software necessary for the discipline to all faculty offices; provide computers for classroom presentations; continue upgrading student labs and clusters (currently only one has Pentium/Win95/CD-ROM/sound)]

    

4. To provide training on using computers effectively to faculty and staff

   • (spring 1997 training series included 13 sessions covering Windows 3.1, Mac OS, Word, Excel, Access, Email, Netscape, most at introductory and more advanced levels)

   [Among remaining goals: provide greatly increased training opportunities including on presentation and graphics software.]

    

5. To provide adequate hardware/software support to users, including both help-desk and on-site response to questions and problems, and hardware repair

   This goal is elusive because we are currently operating with only one technician to purchase, install, maintain, and support over 300 computers.

   [Among remaining goals: provide greatly increased levels of ongoing support]

    

While there is still much to be done in the first areas (network services; infrastructure for network access; additional computers, software, and peripherals for students, faculty, staff), we are particularly concerned with enhancing the last areas (training and support), which are based on adequate ongoing support staffing.

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