Computer purchase programs provide a valuable opportunity to students, staff and faculty for acquiring personal computing equipment and software at substantially reduced prices. The Computer Center coordinates various programs for the purchase of personal computers by full-time faculty, staff and students for their own use or as part of the campus computing plan. Current purchase programs are offered by Apple Computer for the purchase of Macintosh personal computers, IBM for the purchase of PS/2 computers and Zenith Data Systems for the purchase of MS-DOS computers.
Goals:
To develop and promote purchase programs with a number of significant hardware and software vendors including Ashton-Tate, Apple, Claris, IBM, Microsoft, WordPerfect and Zenith
To consult with individuals, departments and offices before a purchase requisition is submitted to acquire computing resources
To make it possible for faculty, staff and students to evaluate Macintosh, IBM and Zenith personal computer hardware and software before purchasing, the Computer Center has an area set aside for evaluation and demonstration. Also, a variety of personal computer magazines, newspapers, user group newsletters, technical material, third-party hardware and software technical and purchase information is maintained at the Center for use and review. Hundreds of very useful public-domain and shareware software packages are also available for copying.
Goals:
To provide facilities for faculty, staff and students to test and evaluate personal computer products supported under current campus purchase programs
To provide technical and purchase information for use and review
To allocate a small percentage (5-10%) of campus computing monies for the evaluation of new equipment, software and networking strategies
Training/Presentations/Demonstrations
Training, presentations and demonstrations of computing hardware and software are essential to the growth and development of computing on the campus. Because the needs and skills of users vary, a broader array of training mediums (tutorials, workshops, demonstrations, video tape) and programs are used. While the Computer Center offers this type of support, it also relies upon other sources. This includes training programs sponsored by the Human Resources Department, SUNY's Training Center, demonstrations and orientation sessions conducted by vendors with purchase programs on our campus, computer users group assistance, the annual computer fair and non-credit instructional programs. The Computer Center acts as a central clearing house for the campus by disseminating information about the availability of these resources and services.
Goals:
To schedule regular training/presentation/demonstration sessions and offer sessions as needed
To provide end-users with the necessary training and information to address their computing problems.
To keep faculty, staff and students abreast of developments in the area of computing germane to their interests and computing activities