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| Vol. 17, No. 36 | July 9, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 36 | July 9, 1998 |
Coordinated by Carol Jarom, IT User Services, the Network Partnership Program is a UD outreach service that provides technical expertise to set up Internet services, free of charge, to nonprofit organizations and private schools in Delaware. Public schools are served by the state.
"Today's students must be computer literate, and our goal is to assist schools, as well as public service organizations, to access, use and provide services on the Internet.
"We are pleased that one of our partners has received national recognition for excellence in technology," Jarom said.
"The program began in 1996 with a pilot project with Tower Hill. Since then the Partnership Program has assisted six other schools to get on the Internet as well as the Delaware Art Museum, the Hagley Museum and Winterthur. It is a true partnership because participants give guidance to subsequent members based on their own experiences," she said.
"The Partnership Program is flexible and cost effective for schools planning medium to large installations. The cost of their equipment is paid for by partners. We give them guidance and training tailored to their specific needs. The Partnership Program is a sharing of expertise and provides a service to the community at large," Jarom said.
When St. Mark's was carrying out an extensive reconstruction program in the mid-'90s, the high school asked the University for advice on implementing their technology integration plan. A UD technology team went into action. Dan Grim, IT-Network and Systems Services, and Leila Lyons, IT-User Services, visited the school to meet with Linda Fischer, St. Mark's technology director, and to offer suggestions about the network infrastructure. Ron Reisor planned the configuration of the network hardware and Evans Coursey, both Network and Systems Services, was installer and provided technical advice for its implementation. Jarom was project liaison.
A T1 line, which gives unlimited, high-speed access to the Internet, was installed by Bell Atlantic, and parents and volunteers came into the school and laid miles of cable for 300 computers in 120 classrooms, including the Information/ Technology Center, as the library is now known, Fischer said.
While the school was being wired, St. Mark's teachers got a headstart on the Internet by using the University's servers.
"We had 45 teachers come on board for the Internet. They were the building blocks of the technology program at St. Mark's. Several teachers have created teacher web pages which they use for assignments," Fischer said.
The school also has a web site (http://www.stmarks/pvt.k12.de.us) which is maintained by students.
"The University played a big role in our technology program and in our receiving the award for innovative high-tech creativity," Fischer said.
To learn more about the Network Partnership Program and its growing list of partners, visit its web page at http://www.udel.edu/netpartners.
-Sue Swyers Moncure
