Students using the computer lab in Virginia Hall are enjoying an upgrade to the facility made this summer, which was made possible by a gift to the Tusculum Fund.
The Virginia Hall lab is heavily used by classes in the Residential and the Graduate and Professional Studies program for working adults, as and the lab is also used for training of faculty and staff.
The computer lab has been converted into a cutting edge, thin client server lab. The basic thin client system is a computer with fewer parts that is designed to run off of another computer, typically a server or a network or servers. Since a server has more available resources, it can allow for several separate thin client computers to run off of its resources, allowing all of those computers to become more centralized while still allowing for individual usage. Where the normal PC has a number of working parts, including a large amount of RAM and memory, a large hard drive, and an on-board cooling system, the thin client has a reduced amount of these elements.
While this may seem to put the thin client at a large disadvantage when compared to the standard PC, the server makes all the difference. Most servers come with enough available resources to make up to 20 thin clients just as powerful as that standard PC. The thin client allows access to the server, a far more powerful computer for optimal educational use.
Behind the scenes, the change has significant impact. With the thin client arrangement, updating programs, upgrading security protocols and general maintenance can all be done at once rather than having to take the time to upgrade individual computers and close the lab for a time. The arrangement is also more energy efficient and creates a saving in operating cost for the College.
In addition, the computers that were formally located in the lab have been used to replace older machines that were being used by faculty and staff.
The conversion of the Virginia Hall lab is one of the first steps of a plan to improve the technology on campus so that students will have the latest technological tools to use in their education and faculty and staff will have more tools to be able to better serve students.
Meeting needs such as technology upgrades is why the Tusculum Fund is so important. The Tusculum Fund provides resources to the College in areas where they are most urgently needed while at the same time supplementing the overall operating budget.
Technology is just one areas of the Tusculum Fund to which gifts can be donated. Others include scholarships, academic programs, the library, Pioneer Club (athletics) or gifts designated to areas of greatest need.
Every gift to the Tusculum Fund matters. Participation in the Tusculum Fund, no matter the size of the gift, is viewed as a measure of alumni satisfaction, demonstrating alumni loyalty, which influences the College’s ability to secure grants from corporations and foundations.
To learn more, visit the Tusculum Fund page on the Tusculum website.