Children are growing up in a world that’s increasingly technological and, as they do, they are arriving on the nation’s campuses with expectations of connectivity. Recognizing that trend, the University of California at Santa Barbara has issued a Request for Information to unwire the public areas of the campus that are accessible by students and faculty.
The campus has already unwired many essential services. This RFI seeks universal access for students expecting to have connectivity wherever and whenever they want it. It quotes the observation of Jason Frand, director of UCLA’s Anderson Computing and Information Services, saying that “most students entering our colleges and universities today are younger than the microcomputer, are more comfortable working on a keyboard than writing in a spiral notebook, and are happier reading from a computer screen than from paper in hand. For them, constant connectivity is of utmost importance.”
You’ll find the RFI under “Open RFIs, RFQs, or RFPs” at the university’s web site. Brian White, principal analyst for the campus’s Communications Services, says ”we welcome any interest in this concept.” He is available to answer questions. Responses are due April 11.
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