CSC News

NC State Named One of Nation's 'Most Connected' Campuses

NC State University is among the 25 "Most Connected Campuses" in the nation, according to the editors of The Princeton Review.

The list, published by Forbes on Jan. 20, 2006, features colleges and universities selected based on criteria including the breadth of the computer science curriculum; the sophistication of campus technology, including streaming media of classes and extracurricular offerings; availability of school-owned digital cameras and equipment for student use; wireless Internet access on campus; and support for handheld computing.

NC State is the only representative from the state of North Carolina to make the Top 25 listing. And the students, faculty and staff in the department of computer science are among the most connected on campus.

EB2, our new home on Centennial Campus, is a virtual showcase for the technologies behind the Top 25 ranking. State-of-the-art classrooms are equipped with the lastest in instructional technologies including ergonomic consoles and touch screen panels providing instructors control over a variety of media including networked computing, document cameras, and VCR/DVD devices, as well as control of classroom audio and high-quality LCD projection. Teaching and research labs within EB2 are filled with the latest equipment and software, in many cases donated by corporate partners such as SAS, Cisco Systems, EMC, Microsoft, OPNET Technologies, IBM, Network Appliance, and many more.   

Housed within the east wing of EB2 is a DELTA Teleclassroom, providing students access to a variety of distance education opportunities. And the Center for Visualization and Analytics (CVA), which supports the use of visualization technology and analytical methods to explore engineering, scientific, design and educational challenges, has plans to construct a high-tech demo room in EB2 complete with sophisticated VizWall and Access Grid.

Students enjoy wireless Internet connectivity throughout the classrooms in EB2, and work is underway to expand wireless access throughout the rest of the facility.

In addition to classroom and learning technologies, computer science students, alumni, coprorate partners, and faculty and staff also enjoy a newly redesigned departmental web portal with enhanced features and audience-specific content including a virtual career services with online jobs postings and exclusive resume database access. Targeted news is also distributed via the web site and a monthly eNewsletter.