UQ Ipswich campus prepares for business
Contracts worth $2.5 million have been signed for state-of-the-art information technology equipment for the University of Queensland's Ipswich campus opening in February 1999.
The UQ Ipswich campus will be equipped with state-of-the-art computer work stations, servers and network in December after stage one is handed over to the University by the builders.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Trevor Grigg said the University's Prentice Centre staff would install and commission the equipment for use by students and 113 academic and general staff at the 25ha Ipswich campus.
UQ Ipswich stage one is due to open for Orientation Week on Monday, February 15, 1999 with a first intake of 580 students. Stage two, for completion in December, 1999 is due to go to tender before Christmas, while stage three will be finished by December 2000.
The campus is expected to host 2350 students by the time the development is completed.
The first UQ staff to work on site - five Security officers - commenced on October 23. They conduct a 24 hour a day, seven days a week service, linked by central monitoring to the St Lucia campus.
UQ Ipswich campus manager Warren Kerswill and services staff will move to UQ Ipswich in mid-December, followed by Library staff.
In January, they will be joined by academics from the bachelor of business (communication), bachelor of electronic commerce, bachelor of education, bachelor of business, bachelor of contemporary studies, bachelor of social science, and bachelor of information environments programs; and UQ Sport and Student Union staff.
In March, 1999, 20 staff from the Learning Resources Development Unit of the Tertiary and Educational Development Institute will move on campus.
Professor Grigg said recent developments following competitive tendering included the following:
o A $1 million contract has been signed with Silicon Data to supply work stations including machines in learning laboratories, in the library, for academic staff, and in the student centre in stage one. Among the computers are 50 high-end machines for use in the bachelor of information environments program.
o A $500,000 contract was signed with communications firm ATI Australia to install a broad-band microwave link from the St Lucia campus to the UQ Ipswich campus. This link will connect the Ipswich campus to UQNET and the internet. On-line resources available at St Lucia, such as the UQ library catalogues, will be available via this link at UQ Ipswich.
o A $200,000 contract was signed with Bay Networking for the nework local to the campus. This local network extends to all buildings on campus, allowing workstations on desks to connect with servers on site at Ipswich and to UQNET via the microwave.
o A $500,000 contract has been signed with Sun Microsystems for the supply and maintenance of servers and and data storage subsystems. There are separate servers designated for staff, students, Web CT (teaching applications) and for development use. They are capable of expansion as required.
o $270,000 worth of audio-visual equipment has been ordered.
The UQ Ipswich shopping list also includes sufficient furniture for staff and students, and for seven seminar rooms each housing 30 people, six learning laboratories each for 20 people, one large 70-person seminar room, and a library capable of seating 100 people.
Mr Kerswill said UQ Ipswich was negotiating a facilities management agreement with the University's Prentice Centre to install and commission hardware, and to provide ongoing campus-based operational support as backup from the University's St Lucia campus as required.
The facilities management agreement includes a call centre facility.
Media contact: Mr Kerswill, telephone 07 3365 8225.
