Kudos to a College Who Gets "IT" Right . . . .

As notebook computers become much more affordable, HP's slogan of "the computer is personal again" is quite apt.

While most two-year colleges compete by keeping their tuitions low (and could not offer this), and many other schools either provide or require students taking certain majors (e.g. engineering) to purchase a particular computer (e.g. a "tablet" computer), Grove City College here in Pennsylvania gets my vote for grasping the importance of integrating "personal" computing with one's professional life.

I'm particularly impressed that their selection is that of a "tablet" computer, which is (IMHO) the interface we'll all be using soon . . . .

Since its founding, Grove City College has believed that a quality education is also a practical education. Given the prevalence of computer technology in most career fields, we believe learning about and using computers is important across the curriculum.

All full-time students receive the use of a notebook computer and printer. Students who are full-time when they graduate get to keep the equipment. There are network ports (10 Mbps switched Ethernet) for every bed in the dorms, every classroom and many public spaces on campus to connect the students to the Internet and a variety of campus services.

Our Repair Shop is staffed by certified computer technicians who provide on-site repairs for all college provided equipment. Note that standard warranties only cover normal wear and tear, so all students are encouraged to provide their own insurance coverage for those unfortunate incidents of life! A student run Help Desk provides excellent support and information for all types of computer questions.

Freshman Computers

Since 1994, the college has handed a new notebook computer and printer to each incoming freshman. Fall 2008 freshman computer system specifications include:

• HP Compaq Tablet PC tc4400 mobile computer
  - 2.16Ghz Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T7400 (4MB L2 cache, 667MHz FSB)
  - 3GB RAM (667 MHz Shared DDR II SDRAM)
  - 120GB SMART Hard Drive (5400 RPM SATA)
  - 12.1" TFT XGA WVA Enhanced Outdoor-viewable Display with Fingerprint Reader
  - Dual Pointing Devices (Pointstick and Touchpad)
  - Digital Eraser Pen with tether and clip
  - 10/100/1000 NIC and 56K modem
  - Integrated Intel® Pro Wireless 3945ABG (WLAN 802.11a/b/g)
  - Embedded TMP 1.2 Security Chip, Integrated Bluetooth Module
  - External MultiBay II with DVD+/-RW Combo Drive
  - 4 GB USB 2.0 Memory Key
  - 6 CELL Lithium-Ion Battery, Travel Battery
  - Targus Computer Backpack for Tablet PC
  - 4 year extended warranty
  
  
• HP Photosmart C4280 all-in-one printer/scanner/copier
  - Professional photo quality with fast, versatile performance
  - Prints up to 30 pages per minute in laser-quality black
  - Prints up to 23 pages per minute in color
  - Optical scan resolution 1200 x 4800 dpi
  - Copy resolution up to 1200 x 4800 dpi
  
  
• College Provided Software
  - Microsoft® Windows® Vista SP1 Business Edition
  - Microsoft® Office Enterprise 2007, Sharepoint Designer 2007 and OneNote™ 2007
  - Sophos Corporate Antivirus 7.0