Faculty Laptop Program

Roll-out Details

 Who: All tenure/tenure-track faculty and university librarians.

• Lists of eligible faculty members will be distributed to each dean for verification.
• Deans will be asked to provide a list of retiring faculty and vacant faculty lines that will be filled for the Fall 2006 term.

What: A laptop/docking station computer system.

• The system will include a laptop computer, flat panel monitor, docking station, keyboard, mouse, and carrying case.  The purpose of the docking station is to provide fixed desktop connections for monitor, keyboard, mouse, power, and Ethernet connections.  This configuration provides functionality for desktop computing and the portability of laptop computing in a single system. 
• Laptops will include wireless Ethernet capabilities, DVD-R storage device, 80GB hard drive storage and 1GB RAM.
• Faculty may choose either a Windows or Macintosh configuration.  Besides a Macintosh version, equipment by IBM, Dell, HP, and Gateway are being considered.  
• Each system will be pre-configured with Microsoft Office plus all recommended virus protection, networking and utility software.
• Laptop/docking station systems will replace current faculty desktop computers, which will be collected and redeployed throughout campus in Phase II of the project.

When:  Bids and equipment evaluations are underway.
Phase I  - Laptop roll out

Faculty Laptop Project – Update July 14

The excitement about rolling out new faculty laptops is growing as we make preparations for distribution. We have been busy developing a training program, support documentation and working with our vendors on equipment deliveries. The final details are being put in place now.

During the week of July 17, we will announce our first laptop training/pickup schedule. This will be announced in EKUToday, and will be posted on our project web site. This announcement will include a link to an online registration system. Please use this system to schedule your training session. Laptops will be distributed during the training sessions.

Training details:

Laptops will only be issued to the intended recipient, during a training session. Please do not send a proxy or stand in to the training.

Please allow 60 – 90 minutes for each workshop session. We hope to keep the training under an hour, but there will be a checkout process that will require some extra time at the end.

You must present a valid EKU ID card to pick up your laptop. We will be using scanning technology to verify your identity and issue your laptop. Please make sure your EKU ID card is one of the newer cards with your photo and Keen Johnson on a black background. If you do not have one of these newer ID cards, please go to the One-Card Office in the Powell Building to have one made, prior to your scheduled training session.

Class size for this training is limited to 14 per session. Once the sessions begin, they will continue on an ongoing basis through September, until all equipment is issued. Please be patient if you cannot get registered for the first sessions. If you find after registering that you cannot attend your training session, please let us know as soon as possible by calling the helpdesk at 2-3000. This may allow us to add someone else to that class.

Phase II – Redeployment of current equipment will begin in early October.

Why:  This project reflects EKU’s ongoing commitment to providing faculty with the quality tools they need to provide a technology-rich environment for our students.  It provides faculty with the flexibility and mobility to meet teaching, research, and service needs.

There are several pedagogical benefits of this program, in addition to the mobility benefits offered by laptop technology.  These computers will:

• Allow faculty to have a familiar PC in the classroom.
• Negate the need for various audio-visual devices, which can be replaced with the laptop PC connected to a permanently-mounted projector.
• Allow the unlocking and better utilization of a number of classrooms.
• Allow access to network assets via the wireless network, now available in all classroom and administration buildings.
• All will be compatible with the current projectors and the projectors that will be added to many high-use classrooms for the fall semester.
• Allow faculty to have computers for library research, since the Library also is wireless.

Additional benefits of this project include:

• Enhanced serviceability and maintenance of faculty equipment.
• Reduced repair costs due to extended warranties purchased with equipment.
• Ease of installation and disposal of obsolete computers.

How: A training program will be developed to provide all faculty with basic information about using their new docking stations and laptops.  Laptops will be distributed during an initial training session.  During that session, a follow up appointment will be scheduled to deliver the monitor and other peripherals and help transfer data from the desktop unit to the laptop unit.  Existing equipment will not be picked up for redeployment until Phase II of the project begins in early October.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must I allow students to use my laptop for class presentations?

No.  A student laptop check-out program will be implemented in the fall with the opening of the Student Technology Center in the former Bowling Alley.  This can be used as a resource for student presentation needs.

How can I get my other software, like Photo Shop, loaded?

If necessary, ITDS staff will help install additional software during your follow-up appointment.  It is the responsibility of the faculty to have proper licenses and installation media available during that visit, or a follow-up appointment will need to be scheduled.

Must I accept a new Laptop/Docking station?

No.  If you do not wish to exchange your current PC for a new laptop/docking station, you may keep your current system.  However, please remember this is a three-year decision.  Your current equipment will not be replaced under this program until all faculty equipment is refreshed in 2009.

How will newly hired faculty acquire computers in the future?

New faculty will take possession of laptops previously assigned to the faculty member they are replacing, when possible.  New faculty members in new positions will have equipment assigned to them from the pool of replacement equipment, as possible.  The intent is to provide all faculty similar equipment and refresh all equipment on the same cycle, regardless of when the faculty member joined the university.

What will happen to my current computer?  Can I keep it?

Every faculty member accepting a new laptop/docking station system is expected to release their current system to be redeployed somewhere else within the university.   Each college will provide a list of computers in their college that needs to be upgraded.  Equipment released from faculty offices will be used to meet these needs and others throughout the university, thereby expanding the benefits of this program across campus.

What if my computer was purchased through a grant?

If the provisions of the grant preclude the use of the equipment by anyone other than grant staff, you may choose NOT to accept a laptop/docking station, or you may choose to accept a laptop/docking station and relinquish another computer that may have been assigned to you by your college or department, if one is available.

What if my laptop has problems?

Each laptop will be covered by a three-year warranty.  Should a laptop fail, ITDS will make every effort to transfer software and data files from the failed laptop to a comparable system from a reserve pool of equipment.  The replacement system will be assigned to the faculty member to replace the failed unit.  If an immediate replacement is not feasible, every effort will be made to locate a loaner unit to be used while repairs are made.

What choices do I have about the configuration of the laptop/docking station I receive?

Faculty may choose from either the Windows or Macintosh platform.  To provide a long, useful life, both systems’ requirements are high end, dual core processors with 1GB RAM and a minimum of 100GB hard drive space.  All systems will be delivered with the same configuration and should not need modification or upgrading to meet most needs.  Departments may, at their own expense, purchase additional peripherals and upgrades after the units are delivered, but should make certain all additions are within the scope of the manufacturer’s warranty.

Can a college or department purchase additional units at the negotiated bid price?

We are making every effort to provide bid pricing to departments who wish to purchase additional units with this order.  Details will be posted in this space as they unfold.  Please e-mail mona.isaacs@eku.edu if you are interested in purchasing additional units on this bid.

Can I purchase my current PC instead of turning it in to be redeployed?

No. On August 2, 2001, EKU Board of Regents approved the following regulations for the sale of surplus property.

Surplus personal property shall be disposed of by one of the following methods, which in the determination of the VP for Financial Affairs, is in the best interest of the University.

1. Transfer to another department of the University
2. Trade-in on replacement item
3. Sealed bid
4. Public auction
5. Transfer to other state agency, local governmental unit or non-profit/charitable organization
6. Cannibalization or sell as junk
7. Junk without value
8. The Vice President for Financial Affairs with the assistance of the Director of Purchasing or others knowledgeable of the commodity may establish a value for property which is not sold by either public auction or sealed bid. After which the property may be sold on a first come, first-served basis to the first person or company offering the established price at a public surplus property sale. The University shall publicize the public surplus property sale at least one week in advance of the sale.
9. Noncompetitive negotiations for the sale of surplus property may be allowed when due to the limited market for a commodity the purchasing officer determines such negotiations are in the best interest of the University. This method generally will be used as a result of receipt of an offer from an interested party to buy equipment which in the past has failed to sell by other methods. Offers will be accepted only upon approval of the VP for Financial Affairs as recommended by the Director of Purchasing.

Will the Macintosh laptops dual boot with Windows XP?

Yes, but due to budget and resource constraints, the ability to run both Windows and Macintosh platforms on the new Intel-based Macintosh systems (dual booting) is not supported by ITDS.

The purpose of offering Macintosh as a notebook platform option is to provide the appropriate tool to faculty who rely almost exclusively on Macs and Mac-centric applications. In many industries, the Macintosh platform is a necessity, not a choice.

While we have left it to the individual faculty member to report their preference, acknowledging that they are experts in their fields, we must also disclose that the Mac laptop costs considerably more than its PC counterpart. We have therefore requested that faculty choose a laptop based on the operating system they primarily use.

There has been a lot of discussion centered on the new dual booting feature of Intel based Macs. It is true that the new Macs can dual boot to Windows XP. However, dual booting and emulating other operating systems is not something new to the computer industry. In fact, Mac users have been able to emulate the Windows XP operating system successfully for a few years and have been able to dual boot with Linux for over five years. Moreover, PC users have had the ability to boot into various Linux distributions, as well as other operating systems. These are applications few EKU users have requested or implemented. Just as we cannot support dual booting with other platforms, we cannot do it with the new Mac.

Dual booting requires purchase of an additional Windows XP operating system license. This additional cost must be encumbered by the individual department.

If your decision to pursue dual booting stems from a software incompatibility issue, please contact ITDS for help and consultation regarding the problem.

Notebook Selection Process  |  Faculty Laptop Images