This project will require $278,000 to build a new computer classroom and computer cluster on the east side of campus, called the Science Computer Classroom/Cluster(SCCC). The facility will bring new technology on campus and provide resources to an area of campus currently without open computer facility.

The facility will be built in existing classroom space in NMSU's Chemistry building. When the new Chemistry and Molecular Biology building was proposed it contained funding to renovate and equip old laboratory rooms in the existing chemistry building to house a modern computer classroom and computer lab. This funding was diverted to other needs as the building was constructed but the commitment to use this space for the SCCC is still maintained by the department. The department will make about 1600 sq. ft. of space available for this function. The facility will include a schedulable classroom of 25-30 seats, each with a computer, and facilities for presentation. It will have an adjoining area with 15-25 computer stations that will always be available for walk-in use by the students. The SCCC will participate in the campus network and use the Student Computer Network server system to provide operational, software, access, and print capabilities. The classroom will also be available for walk-in use when not scheduled as a classroom. We expect the facility to be open about 70-80 hrs per week during the major semesters. All of the computer facilities on campus tend to be used by students who are physically proximate to the facility. The growth of our facilities is predicated on adding service to students who don't currently take advantage of these resources because they aren't convenient to their classroom locations. In this case we expect it will mainly consist of Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Physics, Music, and some engineering students.

The new facility will have some new technology not currently available to meet the special needs of this group of students as well the first implementation of new technology that C&N wants to add to all its facilities. Instructional software for the hard sciences tend to be compute and graphic intensive. And there is a clear trend to replace and enhance old style 'bench' science laboratory training with interactive simulations, even at advanced levels. It would be easy to site articles exploring this development in any issue of the "COMPUTERS IN PHYSICS" journal. The computers selected will have additional capabilities to meet those specifications. Bandwidth has not allowed NMSU to make this kind of software available over the network before. Previous experiments with instructional software in use by the Chemistry department crashed the network before even 10 students could access the code. The SCCC will be wired for 100mbit network bandwidth and have a DVD/CD caching server located on its local segment to provide high capacity multimedia data. This will allow reasonable performance in the SCCC and shield the rest of campus from the generated traffic.

In addition, a local server will be installed with the capability to support network connection over radio wavelengths. This will allow students to bring in their laptops, if properly equipped, and hook straight up to the campus network. They'll have access to file and print services on the network and be able to work on campus with the same machines they work on at home.

The advent of personal computers has had a dramatic impact on the way students work and the way faculty teach. Adequate access to technology is mandatory on the modern campus. Not only do these facilities provide a powerful tool to students to face the challenges of instruction and research, they also provide faculty innovative tools to bring home the content of their lectures, even the playing field for their students, and broaden the scope of instruction and research encompassed by their classes. Two appropriate quotes from the mission statement in the New Mexico State University 1997-98 AP&P Manual are:

... The first responsibility of the university is to provide quality education...

and

... To support our general mission, the university will provide formal and informal educational experiences equipping our students for additional graduate or professional education, for entry into professions, trades, occupations, or for other endeavors, both domestic and international..

The need for additional computer resources has been identified by students themselves In many campus surveys. Surveys of recent NMSU graduates by the Institutional Research, Planning & Outcomes Assessment office reinforce that concern as well. Further evidence is the recent support by the student body for a tuition increase that committed a portion of that increase directly to computing support. These needs are also clearly identified as being amongst NMSU's long term goals. In the executive summary the New Mexico State University Second Review Draft Strategic Plan: 1998-2002 it is stated:

... The third strategic direction is titled "Preparing for the 21st Century" and addresses NMSU's need to respond to dramatic social, economic and technological forces by enhancing our information resources and technology and increasing the emphasis on international and multicultural educational opportunities...

The document also states:

We also must examine areas of the university which need improvement, updating or reemphasis. NMSU will be a stronger institution if we not only build on strengths but also enhance our performance and responsiveness to concerns expressed consistently during the strategic planning process. Some of these relate to resources and cannot be solved by NMSU alone. These include needs for:

...;

more competitive levels of technology and library resources;

...;

The facilities built and operated by C&N across campus to provide computer classrooms and open computer clusters clearly meet these challenge. The SCCC will extend that capability to groups of students not as well served as others on campus as well provide interesting new technology to be exploited by students and faculty.

(2) Summary Cost-Benefit Analysis.

The following spreadsheet estimates the cost of the project. The primary benefit of the project is that it helps address needs identified by the university, its faculty, and its students. These needs are outlined in the university's Mission Statement and Strategic Plan, numerous surveys and campus publications, college and departmental reports, and by direct comment from faculty and student. It will allow the Chemistry and other science departments to make sophisticated simulations a regular part of the curriculum and enhance the laboratory experience of non-major and major students in science classes. It will even the playing field for students that don't have access to as much computer technology as others. It will allow the Chemistry department to replace an old, outdated laboratory facility with a new and innovative facility. And it will allow students to make more effective use of the computing resources they do have, both university based and personally owned.

Currently there is no comparable facility in this area of campus. Existing facilities have been built by individual departments or faculty, tend to be equipped with old, surplus systems, restricted in use, unevenly and irregularly supported, and without any ongoing funding. The new facility will provide:

1) Convenient access for students and faculty

2) Modern equipment capable of meeting instructional requirements

3) A schedulable classroom allowing the use of modern technology in class

4) Additional facilities to address total campus needs

5) First facility capable of using high volume, network based graphics

6) First facility to allow students to bring their own equipment on campus and be able to 'hook-in' to the Student computer network.

This is a local, dedicated resource. There is no expectation of use by clients outside of NMSU. Depending on utilization, there is a possibility of scheduling a seminar or short course directed at other state employees but experience shows these facilities to be fully utilized locally. The classroom will be schedulable by any department on campus but the expectation is that the Chemistry department will dominate that use. The open cluster will be available to, and used by, any student on campus. But again, experience shows these kinds of facilities to be dominated by the students of physically proximate academic departments.

Once the project is approved and funding becomes available, an implementation schedule will be built with a goal to be fully functional by the institution's next upcoming major semester. A major milestone will be completion of renovation of the allocated space. This will allow testing of the new technologies to be implemented in this facility.

FORM 1-2: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

The completed facility will be one of the larger, but not the largest, facilities of its type on campus. Because of the new technology in the facility. it will be the most advanced on campus, and most complex to support. Staff training will be required to support the new technology and procedures developed for efficient use.

This will be the first facility to use Windows NT as the desktop OS. Students and faculty will have to receive orientation on the environment as well as the use of the DVD/CD services and the Radio Net services.

(2) Functional Description of Major Deliverables.

This project will deliver a:

1) Classroom with computers on every desk and a computer at the instructors podium. Facilities for multimedia presentation will be available to the instructor that can present from the instructor desktop. All systems will be connected to the campus network and to the Student computer network and have access to any software or facilities available through them, including the Internet. In addition, access will be available to the local DVD/CD server for any software, data, or media available there.

2) Open cluster available 70-80 hours per week during major semesters. A student proctor will be available to provide assistance and operate the facility. A network printer will be available for local printing. Full access to the campus and Student Cluster networks and all software and resources available there, including the Internet.

3) A high speed local network with a DVD/CD server available for mounting data collections, multimedia, interactive presentations and simulations, and reference material.

4) A local server with an adapter to allow connection to the campus and Student Cluster networks using radio waves as the connection media. Properly equipped, privately owned laptops can be brought in and use desk space provided to connect to the network. Students and faculty will be able to use their home equipment on campus without requiring specialized docking equipment or require complex configuration to enable connection.

5) Shared resources to the rest of campus. The Student computer network is designed to allow resources available in any of its facilities to be available to any other facility, if it is reasonable to do so. Resources available in the SCCC will be available across the width and breadth of campus, although it may not be efficient to use them in all facilities. This allows students to accomplish meaningful work in any available facility even if their first choice is full. It also allows C&N to better utilize resources by allowing the acquisition of software and hardware distributed across the entire campus to meet true load requirements.

(3) Hardware/Software/Network Resources.

This facility is modeled after existing computer clusters and classrooms. Except for the new technology, C&N already has the necessary infrastructure to support this facility. The design of the Student computer network optimizes the utilization of staff across the current 16 facilities and allows for efficient utilization of university resources. The design of the SCCC will localize the heavy network traffic expected to the facility segment. Only when these resources are accessed across campus will there be an impact on the campus network. Since most of the computers in the other facilities won't be adequate to utilize this software anyway, it is expected that impact will be minimal. As campus bandwidth improves, then this facility can be fully integrated into the campus network.

(4) Data and Data Relationships.

Procedures will have to be created to manage data availability on the DVD/CD server. It is expected that the majority of this will be used locally only. The Student computer network already has facilities for managing software license use and data access.

(5) Project Development Approach and Methodology.

Except for the new technology, no customization is expected beyond software and data specific to the local academic departments. C&N already has procedures in place to handle this. The new technology will be implemented one at a time, as indicated in the schedule above. The facility or its components won't be made available until thorough testing is completed. Besides testing functional elements, the facility will be tested for robustness under loading, access control, security, and ease of use.

(6) Risk Assessment and Management.

As stated before, the basic facility has been built and operated at other locations and it is not expected that any new risks willl develop. But there are risks that the new technology to be put in place won't perform as expected. If the network bandwidth or the DVD/CD server aren't able to support concurrent utilization of multimedia material over the network by up to 30 stations, constraints will have to be placed on its utilization. Before any equipment is acquired, an analysis will be done to insure that there are no physical impediments in the building to prevent the use of a radio network adapter. If there are, alternative technologies will have to be examined.

This facility will be jointly managed by C&N and the Chemistry department. The management of the Student Computer Cluster division of C&N will have operational responsibility of the entire project. The Chemistry department and C&N will share requirements, design, and scheduling responsibilities. Other cooperating organizations are expected to be the Physical Plant department, C&N's Desktop Network Support division, and C&N's Network Engineering division.

Computer classrooms and clusters jointly operated by C&N and academic departments are supported by a staff of one professional(manager) and two technical classified staff. Students serve as proctors in the labs and as assistants to the permanent staff. Their number varies dependent on open hours and utilization. There are currently 16 facilities being supported by this division. The Student computer network and its servers are operated by C&N's Desktop Network Support division. It currently consists of 4 professional positions and 4 student assistants. One of the professional and 2 of the student positions are dedicated to the Student computer network. The academic department will appoint a faculty representative to work with C&N in setting requirements, policy, and schedules. That individual is usually guided by a departmental computer advisory committee.

C&N's Student Computer Cluster division currently has web based facilities available for the reporting and management of hardware and software problems in the facilities. All the facilities are proctored, so student employees on site are the first response level to any problems. In addition, regular planning and reporting meeting are held between C&N and the academic department involved with a particular cluster. There are also regular meetings between C&N's Student Computer Cluster and Desktop Network Support groups. And of course, phone, electronic mail, and web services are commonly used for problem reporting and management.

All servers on the Student computer network are backed up weekly and equipped with mirroring and higher levels of RAID technology to provide robust service. They are also protected with local UPS devices. Emergency plans are also available to reroute services if a given server will be down for an extended period of time.

The Student computer network provides logon password functions to control access to the systems. Only currently enrolled students or currently employed staff are allowed access. Additional software is in place to manage software licenses utilization. Since most software is located on servers, additional code is in place to prevent illegal copying of software or tampering with data. Virus scanners are also in place and called at every logon and/or insertion of a floppy diskette into a computer. A system of alarms and cameras will be utilized to provide physical security.

All systems will be tested by staff of C&N and the participating academic department. They will insure systems operate correctly, securely, and efficiently. C&N's Student Computer Cluster and Desktop Network Support groups, as well as the academic department have to sign off before a service is made available.

C&N's Student Computer Cluster group performs internal training of staff as well as orientations for faculty and student users.

Information System Name & Acronym:

System of Project Cost (dollars in thousands)

Expenditure Categories (dollars in thousands)

ORIGINAL CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that, on the basis of the information contained in Forms 1 through 6 for approval of capital projects and the attached preliminary floor plans, elevations and site plan, if appropriate, the Governing Board has approved the original submission of this project, at its meeting held on August 21, 1998.