Going to school where computers are used more than pencils, students have had their fair share of technical difficulties. When students have trouble with their technology on campus, the Information Technology and Computer Service Centers is the place to turn. As useful as the IT department is, it is located in a part of the library referred to by some students as “the dungeon.” The current data center the school relies on is over 30 years old and is in need of renovations and improvements. Director of User Support Karen Swift and Vice President of Information Technology David Dodd have taken on the project of updating and improving the Stevens data center to run more efficiently.
The current construction by the left side of the library is what will be turned into the new student support and help center. The ongoing construction was actually “found space.” Karen Swift and David Dodd are the masterminds behind the project. Both Swift and Dodd saw potential in this unused lab space and decided to use it to rejuvenate the archaic data center as well as the student support help desk located in the basement of the library. The motive behind this project was to take something old and make it new again that will benefit the entire school. The new and upgraded data center will also be highly efficient as well as storm resilient.
The planning and conceptual design for this project started in fall 2014 and construction followed in winter 2014. The project was estimated to cost between $4.5 and $5 million. This money went towards replacing the data center, as well as the computers that run the Stevens network and the construction of the concessions area. The new data center is operating but this project is far from finished. There are many issues that still need to be addressed. In the meantime, students will need to remain patient.
