Gov. McCallum Celebrates $25 Million Technology Pact to Give UW-Stout Students Compaq Notebooks

September 25, 2001

Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum joins University of Wisconsin-Stout and Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ – news) as they sign a $25 million, seven-year mobility initiative in a ceremony today on University of Wisconsin-Stout’s main campus.

Unprecedented in the University of Wisconsin system, the initiative will provide the latest Compaq enterprise-class notebooks to every UW-Stout freshman beginning Fall 2002. As part of the initiative, students will have wireless access to the Internet and the UW-Stout computer network environment throughout the campus including classrooms, hallways, and to a certain extent outdoors.

The signing ceremony, which will be held at 2:30 PM CDT in UW-Stout’s Millennium Hall, marks the beginning in Wisconsin of what is expected to be the wave of the future in higher education.

“I applaud UW-Stout’s initiative in implementing this program. Education is the key to a successful future. With a Higher Educational workforce, we can continue to attract the type of high paying jobs we need to build this state, and keep our best and brightest in Wisconsin where they belong,” stated Gov. McCallum. “Wisconsin is committed to ensuring that all of our citizens reach their highest potential.”

UW-Stout launched the pilot portion of its laptop program in Fall 2000. More than 50 freshmen in the technical communication and graphic communications management programs participated in the pilot. This year, UW-Stout and Compaq along with Vanguard Computers will focus on fine tuning UW-Stout’s infrastructure and preparing UW-Stout faculty to incorporate the new technology into their academic programs.

Many of UW-Stout’s faculty will redesign courses to take full advantage of laptops as learning tools. Instructors also may choose to supplement their textbooks with electronic resources such as DVDs and CD-ROMs. In some classes, students will learn to use the specialized software employed in their fields of study.

“Technology is driving change at an extremely fast pace. But, when used effectively, it can stimulate learning, enrich lives and provide greater opportunity for the future,” said UW-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen. “An innovator for more than a century, UW-Stout is committed to its vision of delivering hands-on, minds-on learning. We have partnered with Compaq and Vanguard because we are confident that their breadth and depth of IT experience will ensure the success of our vision.”

“Partnering with forward-looking institutions such as UW-Stout is critical to Compaq,” said Bill Weaver, vice president of US Sales for Compaq Computer Corporation. “Access to technology and computer-based skills as well as the ability to use this technology is essential to training our future workforce. Compaq, and indeed the entire high-tech industry, rely heavily on skilled workers such as UW-Stout’s graduates to create innovative products and get them to market quickly.”