The Lawrence Board of Trustees has approved a total of $550,000 for information technology capital projects during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Nearly 60 percent of the budgeted funds ($323,000) will be devoted to replacing or upgrading existing equipment so that our network, servers, printers, copiers, projectors, and desktop or laptop systems remain robust and reliable. The remaining 40 percent of the budget is available to do new things.
While the amount available is $75,000 more than in 2006-2007, the total amount proposed for new or replacement IT equipment this year was just over $753,000 -- $200,000 more than approved. Thus it was inevitable that not everything requested could be funded.
Information technology initiatives planned for 2007-2008 include:
- Expanding the campus wireless network to complete coverage in classroom buildings and begin to provide wireless access in public areas of residence halls
- Equipping three more classrooms (two in Briggs and one in Youngchild) with video projection equipment
- Growing our network storage capacity by about forty percent, to keep up with demand
- Adding new interactive technology (clickers, Mimio whiteboard capture devices, document cameras, and similar items) in several classrooms
- Deploying a print management system to conserve paper and add flexibility to printing in general-purpose computing labs
- Installing a network access control system to improve the security of our network, automate guest access to it, and permit the use of network ports in classrooms and labs by any member of the Lawrence community
- Supporting a number of productivity improvements in the library and administrative offices