Dude! They're Getting a Dell
When fall semester classes began at the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) on Tuesday, August 27, students began logging onto the campus network with new Dell Latitude model C610 laptop computers. Representatives from the Dell Computer Corporation visited the campus on August 26-27 to work with faculty, staff, and students in the issuing of a fleet of more than 1300 laptop computers. The issuing of these computers continues the tradition of the "Laptop University," a program that has provided every student attending UMC with a laptop computer since 1993.
At a press conference on August 27 John Mullen (above right), Director of Dell’s Higher Education Division, and others from the financial division stressed Dell’s commitment to quality service and support of the new machines. UMC Chancellor Don Sargeant (above left) commented on how offering current technology like wireless connectivity and computer-based video better prepares graduates for life after UMC.
The Dell computers herald UMC's tenth year of providing a laptop computer to each and every UMC student. Faculty members also receive the same machine. The financing of the machines is made possible through a combination of the payment of a student technology access fee, currently set at $500 per semester; a commitment from overall UMC budgeting; and working with a vendor, in this case Dell, on a two-year lease program.
UMC switched to the Dell computer from the IBM ThinkPad i series, model 1482, which was the standard model for 2000-2002. UMC has featured four distinct computer models--five with the new Dell--since it became the world's first "Laptop U" in the fall of 1993. The lease proposal is competitive among vendors and also includes servicing of the laptop fleet. Earlier this year IBM, Compaq, and Dell all offered lease proposals. Dell's proposal was considered to be the most competitive, and the Austin, Texas, based company was selected for the current two-year lease.
"We're passionate about education at Dell," said John Mullen, "and we've become the number one choice in higher education."
"More importantly," added Mullen, "we think it is critical that these students are introduced to the same technology that they are going to encounter whey they go out into the working world."
The main focus of UMC faculty has been to take existing or emerging technologies and to apply them to the teaching and learning environment in meaningful ways. This is UMC’s clear achievement: the combination of ubiquitous computing, unlimited access, and total immersion into a technology-rich environment brings students, faculty, and academic content together in a manner and with a pervasiveness that has never before occurred. Because of the ubiquitous computing environment and the unique peer and community learning processes that have resulted, the technological skills and comfort level exhibited by UMC faculty, students, and graduates is extremely high. This “techno-savvy” has been noted by employers and by visitors to the campus, and it has led to an enhanced image of the entire campus.
Information from a survey of graduating student experiences conducted in the spring of 2001 reinforces the concept of the importance of the laptop computer and ubiquitous computing environment on campus.
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92.1 percent agreed or strongly agreed “The computer technology skills I developed at UMC are essential to my future employment”
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90.2 percent agreed or strongly agreed “It was important to me to have computer access at any time, day or night”
- 83.3 percent agreed or strongly agreed “Having my own computer helped me assume personal responsibility for learning”
Chancellor Sargeant added, "I've worked with technology in education since my days working on my Ph.D., and I'm firmly convinced that integrating technology into educational curriculum is the right thing to do."
Posted 08/30/2002
Contact: Andrew Svec,
218-281-8435