|
From the April 20,
2006, edition of “Northwest This Week.”
Northwest President Dean L. Hubbard, left,
Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft and Missouri Commissioner for Higher
Education Shaila Aery ceremonially turn on the University’s
Electronic Campus on Aug. 18, 1987. Northwest was the first public
university in the United States to implement a campus computing
system available to students and faculty alike.
The following is excerpted
from “Transitions: A Hundred Years of Northwest” by
Dr. Janice Brandon-Falcone. An illustrated history of the University’s
first 100 years, “Transitions” is available from the
Bearcat Bookstore on the first floor of the J.W. Jones Student
Union. The book can also be purchased online at www.nwmissouri.bkstore.com
or by calling (660) 562-1246 (ext. 1246 on campus).
Current President Dean L. Hubbard was attracted
to Northwest in part because of the computer infrastructure he
observed in 1984. That system was credited to Dr. Jon Rickman,
director of computing services, and his basic idea for computing.
At the time many people used different systems
that were not compatible with each other – IBM, Apple, Unix.
Rickman had pressed for a policy under which the University would
only buy computers compatible with the VT-125 terminal, although
there would be some exceptions to this policy in the departments
of Art and Mass Communication.
Rickman had other ideas as well. In 1977-1978,
with the support of President B.D. Owens and the team of Dr. Morton
Kenner, chairman of the Computer Sciences Department, and faculty
members Drs. Gary and Merry McDonald, the Office of Computing
Services acquired a computer (DEC PDP-11/70) that would function
as a server with multiple terminal access to make computing available
to students and faculty beyond the departments of Mathematics
and Computer Science. By the early 1980s, this computer served
more than 500 terminals across campus.
Back to Excerpt
index
|