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 Roger Williams University Student Laptop Program Case Study
Eager to arrive on campus prepared for their academic careers, many entering freshmen at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Bristol, R.I. wanted new computers for school in the fall. And for many relatives and parents of new college students, a new computer was an ideal graduation gift they knew would help their student succeed. However, selecting the right solution to meet the students' academic requirements was not an easy task. Parents and students looked to the University for advice about what model or type to purchase.
Up until several years ago, however, RWU had relatively generic and technical specifications only.
"Parents would call us and say, 'Please just tell me what make and model to buy,'" says Joe Pangborn, RWU's Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Because the University didn't have any specific recommendation or purchase program, students could purchase whatever model fit their budget and taste.
The result was a multitude of computer manufacturers, makes and models arriving on campus. This created support issues for the University IT staff in terms of maintaining the security of its residence-hall network and providing even a minimal level of service and support.
Wanting to help students select the right computer and then provide an adequate level of service and support while they were on campus, Pangborn turned to HP and its business partner CompUtopia for help. They worked together to establish a Campus Advantage laptop computing program that offers standard configurations of HP notebook PCs, which are pre-loaded with software, tested, and shipped to the students' home during the summer. Most importantly, CompUtopia staffs an on-campus store where students can get help quickly and conveniently from trained technical experts.
Since the program launched, RWU students, parents and faculty are more satisfied, the IT staff has more time to work on other projects, and the security of the University's residence network is well-protected.
"Before this program was in place, students showed up with everything under the sun, from very low-end PCs to very expensive models," Pangborn says. "There was no standard. Even though we wanted to help them, it was very difficult to support all the different operating systems, platforms (make/model) and software that they had installed. Many students would also arrive with machines that had been compromised by viruses and malware. Often these students were not aware that their machines were compromised."
Pangborn adds, "From a University perspective, we had concerns about students connecting their PCs to our network. Machines that have been compromised affect the stability, reliability, performance and security of the whole residence network and related infrastructure."
In addition to the University's concerns, students and parents also felt dissatisfied with the arrangement, according to Pangborn. Students arrived on campus expecting that if they needed service for their computers, the University could help them. "As a small private institution, we are not equipped to provide this level of support or assume this liability," he says. "It would be similar to asking if the University's Facilities Office could repair a student's automobile if it were to break down."
But since many students didn't have their own transportation and the nearest PC service facility was about 20 miles away, the University understood that it was difficult for students to find support locally. Some would be required to send their PCs home to have their parents get it fixed, then ship it back; or even box it up and send it to the manufacturer for repair. That left the student without a PC until it returned. "Understandably, some parents weren't happy about this situation, either, and were asking us to help them out," Pangborn says.
RWU had a "hardware run-off" in which several PC vendors competed to win the University's business. "We let students and faculty try the different systems and test them with the applications they use," Pangborn says. "It was clear that everyone liked the Hewlett-Packard laptops better than the others, so we chose HP as our standard."
After selecting HP, RWU worked with CompUtopia to set up a comprehensive program that would make buying, supporting and using the PCs as easy as possible for students and their parents. CompUtopia provides on-campus services as soon as students arrive to help them register their computers and safely connect to the network. For ongoing service and support, students can bring their laptops to the on-campus CompUtopia store. RWU also offers a custom Web site at www.computopia.com/rwu, built and maintained by CompUtopia, where students and faculty can learn about and buy the HP products.
"What has been key for us is to have CompUtopia support the PCs locally on campus, so students have a place to go if anything goes wrong or they just need some immediate help," Pangborn says.
Students receive information about the laptop program as soon as they accept an offer to attend Roger Williams, and also at student orientation sessions and "Accepted Student" days. CompUtopia keeps in close touch with HP to learn about upcoming models, so they can offer students the most updated technology available. Faculty members also have the option to purchase systems through CompUtopia, and many take advantage of this custom-designed program to get top-quality systems at attractive prices.
RWU opted to standardize on HP's business PC models, knowing that durability, performance and longevity were critical criteria for students and faculty. "We expect students and faculty to be on the computer for up to 8 to 10 hours per day, so HP's reputation for quality and reliability is very important to us," Pangborn says.
Last year RWU chose the HP NC6400 and NC8430 notebook computers, offering a higher-end configuration tailored for engineering and architecture students, and a general-purpose configuration for other curriculum areas.
Another important factor for RWU's IT department was HP and CompUtopia's ability to meet the University's overall IT needs with a broad range of IT systems and services.
RWU previously had worked with other notebook and server manufacturers, but had experienced some reliability and support issues. The University did not receive the level of responsiveness it needed. Once HP and CompUtopia were on board, Roger Williams was able to get on-site service with very quick turnaround. For example, the University was one of the first to buy HP's new high-end desktop workstations for its advanced computer labs. When an issue arose, HP immediately sent an engineering team from Houston and resolved the problem in two days.
With the HP/CompUtopia solution in place, RWU reports that students, parents and faculty members are highly satisfied with the HP laptops and the level of service and support they receive. Although students and faculty are not required to buy their PCs through the HP/CompUtopia program, more than half of them do, Pangborn reports.
As the program becomes more entrenched among students and faculty, the adaptation of technology within their curriculum is becoming more prevalent.
Although it has been difficult to quantify the savings in IT costs, Pangborn says that having CompUtopia provide on-site PC support for students and having a standard that safeguards the security of the University's network has saved countless hours of time for his small IT staff. "We support more than 300 PCs per IT technician just for our own faculty and staff, so we're already stretched pretty thin," he says. "We were not able to add 3,000 custom PCs to this number in order to support the student owned equipment."
CompUtopia's ability to efficiently handle student requests for PC support has relieved RWU's own IT staff of that time-consuming responsibility. "With CompUtopia taking on more of the help desk and call-center activities, it has immensely reduced the number of help desk calls that our IT department receives and frees another technician to support the academic and administrative enterprise," Pangborn says. "We have been able to reallocate our IT resources to do more productive things that benefit the University as a whole."
Another plus, Pangborn says, is that having a state-of-the-art laptop program helps to enhance RWU's reputation as a technology-savvy University and gives RWU an edge in attracting the most talented and sought-after students.
And, he continues, it is always an advantage to have a program that delivers a great experience and high customer satisfaction to the students, parents and University community as a whole.
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