Brian, a 20-year-old communications major at Millersville University, has a mission for the Fall 2000 semester: to upgrade his computer and electronic equipment to the level of some of the other students he sees around campus. "It’s almost impossible," he says, "every time I buy something, it’s obsolete in a year or two."

He’s not exaggerating. Perhaps nowhere outside of the business world is the sweeping pace of technology more evident than on the modern college campus. It is estimated that 90% of this year’s freshmen will be connected to the Internet, and by the time those freshmen are seniors, that number will climb to 95%, according to Jupiter Communications, a research firm.

Susan Komsky, of the Office of Information Technology at Millersville University, has witnessed the changes. "Ten years ago, we were teaching e-mail and word processing," she says, "now most students arrive prepared with that knowledge and we’re able to teach web projects and other advanced computer applications." In addition to the advanced curriculum, students also have new technology right at their fingertips in their own dorm rooms. "There are data connections in each dorm room for easier access to both the Internet and the college’s databases," says Komsky. "That level of technology is now part of the normal college experience."

There’s no question that computers have revolutionized the way things are done on college campuses, but the new technology doesn’t end there. Graphing calculators are all the rage amongst many tech students right now. A modestly priced graphing calculator is capable of running small computer programs and can draw up graphs representing complex equations in the blink of an eye. There are also synonym dictionaries and spell checkers that fit in the palm of your hand, as well as language translators for students studying a foreign language.

While all of this new technology is exciting, there is, of course, a downside. For every new gadget that is geared towards helping students learn, there are several more found in each classroom that can become a distraction. Cell phones and pagers beep endlessly, laser pointers have become a nuisance or a danger, and portable compact disc and MP3 players are everywhere. "Some instructors try to ban them from the classroom, but people still bring them," says Brian, "the only way to get rid of them all is to search people, and they can’t do that." Along with the instructors, the non-stop advance of technology also makes extra demands on the institutions themselves. Keeping campuses wired has become a big business, and figuring out a way to keep up with new information can be daunting for a college’s personnel. Rather than assign a small team to this task, Komsky’s staff of 45 people at Millersville split up the work themselves, keeping what they have up to date, and researching new ideas. "Our planning towards new technology is definitely a team effort here," she says. Aside from web-based registration, the most requested services from students is computer services, upgrades and repairs right on campus, an idea Millersville is looking into.

Some colleges around the country are going further, being pro-active in the race to keep up with new technology. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently decided that all new students are required to not just own a computer, but a laptop computer. Even though laptops are less powerful and slower than desktops, a wireless UNC campus gives instructors greater flexibility in giving and receiving assignments, creates much needed desk and office space, and will eliminate the cost and hassle of stringing and connecting and updating new wiring in the old buildings on campus. It also allows the students to complete work wherever, whenever, and however they want, which is certainly appealing. Many of these incoming freshman are reportedly purchasing their computers through UNC at a lower cost, opening up the door for many lucrative collaborations between universities and computer companies. This decision to go to a mobile campus is certainly ambitious, but is it going too far too soon in trying to stay ahead? "I think it depends on the institution," says Komsky, "but I think that’s where a lot of universities are going."

Today’s college freshmen were born in the same year as the first IBM PC, but nobody could have guessed how much the two would be intertwined at this point. Matt Pittinsky, founder of Blackboard, a software company that currently serves over 3,300 colleges, states that the computer represents "the most profound change to colleges since the G.I. Bill."

Meanwhile, Brian has targeted the items he sees as his prime objectives this semester. "I want one of those programs where you talk and the computer types the paper up for you," he says, "and one of those language translators for French." The program is affordable but the translators can get pricey, so how is he planning to pay for them?