Campus Departments Information Technology
Technology at Westmont plays a vital role in the life of our community. From personal computing to classroom technology to social networking, every service and platform has experienced major improvements in use and capability in recent years.
Westmont was one of seven colleges and universities named to the InfoWorld 100 Awards as one of the top 100 IT organizations that have “implemented and integrated technologies in innovative ways in pursuit of concrete business goals”. We also received a Circle of Excellence award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for our social media site focused on serving young alums.
The popular magazine eCampus News chose Westmont from nearly 4,500 colleges and universities as the eCampus of the month for January 2013. The publication says Westmont has “implemented predictive modeling and cloud-computing programs to save money and spend budgets efficiently, becoming a model for small schools looking for ways to survive the slumping economy.”
I mention these because they help demonstrate that Westmont is doing some very interesting and important work in the area of technology, focusing on a number of core areas: Explore them below!
Areas of Technology
Westmont College is committed to being a leader in mobile technology in higher education. Individual mobile applications have been developed and tailored to fit the needs of current students, campus visitors, and Westmont alumni so everyone in the Westmont community can stay connected on the go.
The Westmont College App for iOS was introduced in 2010 and is updated frequently. It features a GPS-aware shuttle tracker, dining menu, live streaming of athletic events, calendars, email directory and more.
The Westmont Community Guide App provides information to new Westmont students and families regarding new student orientation, campus events, clubs and organizations, and an interactive campus map.
The Westmont Connect App provides a resource for Westmont Alumni to contact and connect with the Westmont community even after graduation.
Westmont was the first school in the nation to transition all wireless access to 802.11n. We have implemented over 300 wireless access points across campus to provide nearly 100% coverage. In addition, wireless is also available at our off-campus apartments in Santa Barbara and at our urban center in San Francisco. Sign-on is simple, secure and reliable. Every day more than 3,000 devices connect to our wireless network.
Recognizing how much work occurs via the Internet, Westmont has invested heavily in this area. Since 2009 we have dramatically increased wireless speeds at the college. Residence halls currently have nearly 1 Gbps of Internet access while the library, classrooms and college offices have access to a dedicated DS3. All told, this represents a seven-fold increase from 2009.
Cloud-based computing services give Westmont students, faculty and staff access to Westmont’s Google Apps Suite of services for email, calendar, document sharing, and file storage. In addition, library resources in Voskuyl Library were recently moved to the cloud, giving students a friendlier user interface and full-text access to nearly 3,000,000 eBooks with more than 88,000 eBooks being added each semester.
The recently renovated Voskuyl Library Learning Commons integrates technology and traditional library services in spaces designed to inspire students to learn, think and imagine. Students have access to online databases, nine new conference rooms integrated with technology designed to foster collaboration, two separate computer labs, high-speed wireless internet, over 200 electrical outlets for plugging in your favorite device, and 500 free pages of printing per semester in the Library for all students.
Westmont iTunes U has over 3,000 videos and audio lectures, Westmont Downtown Lecture Series and other special events. We have converted over 30 years of recorded chapel talks, which are now available to the public on iTunes. In addition, WestmontTV, a YouTube channel, provides access to much of the same content. Westmont was one of the first schools in the country to provide live streaming of the college’s athletic events on the Westmont iPhone app with over 40 WarriorTV video broadcasts made available each semester.
All of us in IT are working hard to insure that your data is adequately protected. The wireless network and all my.westmont services (email, calendar, contacts, and drive) are encrypted for your protection. In addition, electronic proximity card access exists in most residence halls and the Westmont Dining Commons
In order to assist in ensuring the best learning environment possible, classrooms are either equipped with a state-of-the-art high-definition widescreen projector or large high-definition LED/LCD television, in addition to high-speed wireless internet, and integrated audio for presentations and lectures.
These are just some of the areas Westmont’s IT team is working on to reliably provide for students, faculty, staff and friends of the college. The opportunity technology represents to higher education when appropriately aligned to the larger purposes of the college is unprecedented. I recognize how quickly technology is changing and we are working to deliver technology-related services that make your connection to Westmont more useful and fun. Our goal is simple: to become one of the top technology departments in higher education. I encourage you to connect and check us out!
Reed Sheard
Vice President for College Advancement
Chief Information Officer
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