With the future of Northwest Georgia in mind, Floyd College in Rome, Georgia, embarked on a groundbreaking Information Technology Project (ITP) in the fall of 1997 that was designed to better prepare students for the world of work by immersing them in computer technology. The project involved leasing laptop computers to every student for his or her exclusive use during the academic term. The lease included Internet access in every classroom and from home, more than 60 hours per week of Help Desk assistance, and free training classes. Floyd College was the first two-year college in the country to initiate such a program.
Campus faculty and administrators spent three years planning for this bold move. The driving vision was to change the way students learn making them more active than passive in the process and to make them proficient in the inevitable use of technology that they would encounter in their careers. College officials met with community leaders and heads of local business and industry to determine their specific criteria for computer literate professionals. This was a critical part of the planning since most of the college s 2,500 commuter students reside in the Northwest Georgia area and are part of the workforce even as they attend classes.
Website: Explains Floyd’s current technology policies http://www.fc.peachnet.edu/students/currentstudents/technology/faq.htm The Northwest Georgia region was not at that point embracing computer technology as a part of everyday life. In fact many of the college s nontraditional students railed against being forced to use the technology, not understanding the value of what was being offered to them. (These same students today are the most vocal proponents of the program.)
Because of the groundwork that was laid in the community, the college had the support of the Chamber of Commerce, which gave the institution its prestigious Horizon Award for innovation in technology that very year. Business and industry were so sold on the idea that the college began on-site contract training utilizing the laptop computers. To date, thousands of employees of businesses, government, and industry have taken advantage of this certificate-level training.
It is not immodest to say that Floyd College was greatly instrumental in bringing Northwest Georgia into the computer age. By providing computer-savvy graduates who were determined not to give up the advantages that the technology allowed them, the vision that began at Floyd College has mushroomed into a pervasive, cutting-edge society where the majority of households have Internet access, and where cable companies and telephone companies are competing to be the first to provide high speed connections to every home and business.
It is a partnership that is as vital to the college as it is to the community, and which will only grow and reap benefits in years to come.
