Students Benefit From Leading Technology Integration and Financial Incentives
From San Antonio Federal Credit Union
SAN ANTONIO and IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Officials
at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) have announced a strategic
alliance with Gateway Inc., the nation's third-largest PC vendor, to be the
University-wide provider of notebook and tablet computing products for
students, faculty and staff. UTSA has more than 26,000 students and 3,500
faculty and staff, making the University's alliance with Gateway one of the
largest initiatives of its kind in the country.
The four-year agreement offers the UTSA community, specific pricing on
select Gateway notebooks, tablet PCs and peripherals. In an effort to promote
technology adoption, Gateway has worked with the San Antonio Federal Credit
Union (SACU) to establish several unique finance packages for students
offering low monthly payments and incentives that could waive interest
charges.
"This is an exciting program for UTSA, one that we believe will have a
significant impact on the success of our students," said Rosalie Ambrosino,
UTSA vice president for student affairs. "It is important that we offer our
students enhanced educational opportunities and access to technology to
prepare them for the work places of tomorrow."
Three of Gateway's latest notebooks will be available for immediate
purchase by prospective and current UTSA students, as well as faculty and
staff, including the company's notebook convertible model. Gateway's
notebooks are developed with industry-leading technology and designed to
perform beyond a typical student's academic career.
"UTSA is implementing an important technology initiative that will greatly
benefit their students' learning experience, and Gateway is proud to
participate in such a powerful program making technology easily accessible,"
said Jim Kaufold, vice president of education sales at Gateway.
UTSA's Teaching and Learning Initiative is working to expand the use of
technology in classrooms and research labs, according to Ambrosino. "In
spring 2005, more than 1,200 course sections were created on WebCT with nine
of those delivered entirely over the Internet," said Ambrosino. "This year a
major focus of the Initiative will be collaborating with faculty to develop
additional ways that technology can be used to enhance learning, both in and
beyond the classroom." WebCT is the UTSA course management system, which has
a complete set of tools for preparation, delivery and management of online
courses, and enhancements to face-to-face courses. Popular with both faculty
and students, WebCT had more than 22,000 student users in spring 2005.
The opportunity to help enhance students' learning experience brought
several outside organizations to the table for the technology initiative
program. One such partner is TRC Computer Services, an authorized service
provider (ASP) and network service provider (NSP) that works closely with
Gateway to provide service and support for Gateway's products. TRC will work
with UTSA's Help Desk to install all pertinent class software on students'
systems and make any repairs or updates as needed.
SACU is another partner instrumental to the program's success by offering
special interest rates for notebook purchases and is adding extra incentive
for students to finish school-waiving either 50 percent or all of the accrual
upon a student's graduation.
"SACU is pleased to be part of this initiative to expand the learning
opportunities for students at UTSA. SACU is a major provider of education
loans and has a strong commitment to assisting the growth and development of
future leaders in our community," said SACU president and CEO Jeff Farver.
"This initiative is a tribute to the power of community organizations working
together to create a better future for our greatest resource -- our youth."
This multifaceted program is helping the UTSA community keep pace with the
technology boom. Last year, the University launched Air Rowdy, a wireless
computer network that enables students, faculty and staff at the 1604 and
Downtown campuses to access UTSA online applications, library resources and
the Internet. Air Rowdy makes the Internet and many classroom-learning
applications available in many areas at UTSA, allowing the University
community to learn virtually anywhere.
"UTSA is actively using technology to elevate the quality of academic
programs at the University," Ambrosino said. "One example is the streaming
video feature professors are using through WebCT. Professors using the
enhanced WebCT feature have already reported improved performance among
students."
For more information on Gateway products, customers can visit
http://www.gateway.com or call 1-800-GATEWAY. Solution providers and value
added resellers (VARs) interested in partnering with Gateway through the
ProNet Partner Program can find more information at
http://www.gateway.com/pronet.
From value-priced servers to ultra-reliable desktops to comprehensive
services, Gateway has served organizations for 20 years. Gateway uses its
multi-channel approach to make the purchase, use and support of technology
simple. Gateway customers include many of the world's leading organizations,
such as the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, the University of Arizona, Harvard
University, the State of California and others. For more information on
Gateway Professional solutions, visit http://www.gateway.com/business.
About The University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio is a premier institution of higher
education in Texas and one of the fastest-growing universities in the state.
Serving more than 26,000 students enrolled in 55 bachelor's, 41 master's and
13 doctoral programs, UTSA, founded in 1969, is the second-largest institution
in The University of Texas System. An institution of access and excellence,
UTSA is committed to research and discovery, teaching and learning, and public
service. For more information, go to http://www.utsa.edu.
About Gateway
Since its founding in 1985, Irvine, Calif.-based Gateway (NYSE: GTW) has
been a technology pioneer, offering award-winning PCs and related products to
consumers, businesses, government agencies and schools. After acquiring
eMachines in early 2004, Gateway is now the third largest PC company in the
U.S. and among the top ten worldwide. The company's value-based eMachines
brand is sold exclusively by leading retailers worldwide, while the premium
Gateway line is available at major retailers, over the web and phone, and
through its direct sales force. See http://www.gateway.com for more
information.
SOURCE Gateway, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.gateway.com
http://www.utsa.edu
CONTACT:
Bryan Sherlock of Gateway, Inc.,
+1-949-471-7756, bryan.sherlock@gateway.com; or David Gabler of
UTSA, +1-210-458-4550, david.gabler@utsa.edu
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