It’s that time of year again! Students at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC) have been using laptops for 26 years and issuing of a new model began this week on campus. The laptop initiative started in 1993 when UMN Crookston became the first higher education institution to issue laptop computers to all on-campus students and faculty. In the years that followed the start of the laptop program, more than 100 colleges and universities would visit the campus to learn more about the innovation.
Upon her arrival to campus in July 2017, UMC Chancellor Mary Holz-Clause requested a review of the student laptop program to ensure the program was meeting changing technology, academic, student, employer, and affordability needs. The result of this study proved the value of the laptop program, its strength, and its importance to students.
“We prepare our students to work in the technology environment in our classrooms right from the start,” says Chancellor Holz-Clause. “Students are expected to collaborate with fellow students—both on-campus and online—as well as with our faculty. It is this constant, consistent presence of technology that makes it such a powerful learning tool.”
This fall, UMC will issue new the HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 model, a 14-inch, 2-n-1 device capable of being used as a traditional laptop or folded over for tablet mode. This model marks the first 2-n-1 device for the Crookston campus.
