Campus Improvements, Tech Upgrades to Enhance the Student Experience

A number of campus improvements are underway to further enhance the student experience at Westminster, including several technology upgrades on campus. IT has been looking at the needs on campus and working to upgrade items that have a positive impact on the most users, using data to help drive the purchases for campus. 

Network Improvements

The biggest upgrade on campus has been to the wired and wireless network on campus —directly improving performance and reliability of our campus network and helping to minimize downtime during power disruptions. Wireless upgrades were completed to all locations on campus, and the campus now has a single cohesive wireless system — all brand new over the last two years. A new core switch, installed in September, enables faster speeds to several of the buildings on campus. New network switches in all academic and office locations will be installed by the end of the semester. The rest of the campus will receive similar upgrades over the next year or two.

New Computers on Campus

Students will soon enjoy new computers in Reeves Library, as well as in one of the Coulter Science Center’s high traffic Computer Science labs. The library will be getting new thin clients (lightweight computers built to connect to a server from a remote location) in the Hazel Wing labs and other locations, which will simplify the management and increase the reliability of these computers. These thin clients will also reduce our electricity use and impact on the environment considerably.

Additional Tech Upgrades

• Ten new projectors will be installed in classrooms based on usage and need.
• Thirty computers will be refurbished with faster technology from the computers that were in the Library/Computer Science labs and will help replace much of the older equipment on campus.
• Ten new laptops have also been purchased for faculty and staff.

Additional Campus Improvements

• New exercise equipment will also be available to students in Hunter Activity Center. A new elliptical machine and stairclimber have been purchased.
• The exterior of the Churchill Institute building is being renovated. 

Westminster looks forward to the completion of these projects to better serve faculty, staff, and students, as well as to improve the appearance of the campus. Funding for the improvements is included in the current year’s budget.