Sometimes, winning an award isn't enough.
With Ball State University having earned the distinction of being Intel Corp.'s "Most Unwired Campus" for the year, it would be easy to utter congratulations, make a few billboards about the accomplishment, then take a break until the next wireless access top-10 list comes out. That would be acceptable, but it would also be lazy.
Instead, Ball State is taking the active approach by constantly continuing to improve the wireless technology access offered to students.
The university has been adding and improving wireless access points every year. And by 2004 it had set up wireless capabilities in nearly every campus building, including residence hall lounges. Residents, however, still could not rely on having access to the network in their individual rooms, until now.
During Winter Break, the university installed several transmitters to provide wireless access to every room on campus - now that's cutting-edge cool.
Although the means by which the university chose to increase wireless access in the dorms - asking students to allow the large transmitter boxes to be kept in their rooms - might seem to be insensitive or inconvenient, the students who agreed to keep the boxes in their rooms do not seem to be frustrated with the solution. In fact, they're glad to have the increased Internet access. Beyond that, the university was generous enough to refund the students' residence hall technology fees to make up for any inconvenience the boxes might cause - and it seems everyone is satisfied.
This is a perfect example of meeting student needs, planning an initiative completely before implementing it and continuing forward motion for campus technology goals. This development shows why Ball State deserves the "Most Unwired Campus" distinction.
If the university can maintain this cutting-edge, constant-improvement mentality, it's possible Ball State will never fall from the top of Intel's list - and it might collect a few more awards in the process.
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