This fall, the Student Computer Ownership Workgroup has been busy setting the stage for next fall. In September, members of the workgroup presented the computer ownership expectation to approximately 200 UC Davis recruiters at the Gold Star and Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach Training Program. In October, they participated in Preview Day, when several thousand high school juniors considering UC Davis and their parents toured campus and attended information sessions. In November, the workgroup began meeting with selected computer vendors to determine who might be able to offer incoming UC Davis students pre-loaded computers at the most competitive prices. The group also recently submitted a progress report that summarizes accomplishments during fall quarter 2000 and it outlines the additional work the group must accomplish before March 1, 2001 when Undergraduate Admission Acceptance packets are mailed to next year's entering freshmen. To read the complete report, go to: http://vpiet.ucdavis.edu/scow.html.

A Web site the group is developing (http://computerownership.ucdavis.edu/) is expected to go live before the beginning of winter quarter. It will serve as the main access point for entering undergraduate students -- and their parents -- to find the latest information about the computer ownership expectation. The site will contain the complete wording and other basic information about the expectation and student computing on campus, including the current Recommended Solution for Student Computer Purchases. During winter 2001, as the workgroup determines any special computational needs schools and colleges may have and finalizes vendor negotiations, the hardware and software information will be updated. The group also is planning to use the site to highlight interesting applications of technology in teaching at UC Davis to show incoming students examples of how they might use their computers once they arrive on campus. The site will also serve as a resource for current students and faculty who are interested in the latest hardware and software recommendations of the campus, or who want to know more about the importance of student computing on campus.

The workgroup, created in Summer 2000 by Vice Provost for Information and Educational Technology John Bruno, in consultation with Vice Chancellors Janet Hamilton and Carol Wall, is charged with implementing the campus computer ownership expectation that goes into effect in Fall 2001.