HOLLINS HONORS COMPANIES THAT AIDED NETWORK

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 20, 1993                   TAG: 9302200161
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
HOLLINS HONORS COMPANIES THAT AIDED NETWORK
Hollins College on Friday cited six Roanoke Valley companies for donating equipment, services and money for a computer and fiber-optic network that links student dormitory rooms and faculty offices with national computerized research facilities.
Hollins President Maggie O'Brien said the college is the first liberal arts college in the region and one of a few nationally with such technology. Because of the corporate contributions, the $186,000 that Hollins has spent is about one-third what comparable networks cost at other schools.
The campuswide computer network was begun in the summer of 1991, when Cox Cable Roanoke began installing cable television service to one room in each Hollins dormitory. While Cox was burying cable on the campus, Hollins installed its own computer conduit in the same trenches, saving labor costs.
Also, FiberCom Corp. provided technical expertise and equipment to establish the fiber-optic cable network. Optical Cable Corp. donated some fiber-optic cable and supplied more cable at reduced cost. Frank Boxley Jr., president of Southwest Construction Corp. donated money and handled construction of burying the computer conduits. Appalachian Power Co. gave the college use of its power poles to support cable between the main campus and college residences about a quarter-mile away. Applied Fiber Optics also contributed to the system.
Robert C. Heterick Jr., president of Ecucom, a 600-college consortium for development of information technology and vice president emeritus of Virginia Tech, called the Hollins network part of an information revolution.
"There is an incredible amount of information that will change the very nature of higher education," he said at ceremonies to showcase the network at Hollins' Founders Day weekend.
The current generation of students "is irrevocably transformed" already by technology. "What we're witnessing is faculty coming to understand the ability of technology to change how they teach and how we learn."

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB