AU unplugged: American goes wireless, creates model - Update

University Business, June, 2002 by Nicole Rivard

A few years ago, American University was dubbed "most wired" by Yahoo's Internet Life. Now the school is striving for most unwired. This fall, the university will unveil a new campus-wide wireless system to handle voice, data, and messaging. The system is being implemented by VA-based KPMG Consulting, following a two-month trial period in a campus residence hall and the Kogod School of Business.

AU is not the first school to use wireless technology to access its campus Ethernet and the Internet through PC-oriented devices. But AU's wireless infrastructure differs from previous implementations in that it is designed to be accessible via cell phone as well. Wireless Web access to applications such as class schedules, course availability, grades, and transcripts will be available. In addition, wireless alerts will be sent to students and faculty about class cancellations, bad weather, and event information.

Interestingly, advancing the school technologically was not the driving force behind the initiative. AU officials say they took a "business first" approach, not a "technology first" approach--another aspect of the project that makes it unique. The wireless system with cell-phone accessibility was selected as a way for the school to achieve a return on its investment in its overall telecommunications and information technology infrastructure. And because in previous years the university had already invested in a high-speed Ethernet backbone, the wireless component is costing the school a moderate $2 million, say AU spokespeople. Administrators believe they will save at least that much going forward, in the reduction of operating costs and the avoidance of capital investment in the telecommunications infrastructure in the residence halls.

"We're hoping that as the students become more adept at using their cell phones, there won't be a need for them to have a hard-line telephone in the dorms," says Don Myers, American's treasurer and vice president of Finance.

"Our internal telecommunications infrastructure is at least 12 years old," Myers adds. "The question we would have had to face soon is, `What are we going to upgrade that with?"

Whether the school will ever be able to eliminate traditional phone service altogether in the dorms remains to be seen. But American has already launched a marketing campaign to get students excited about the wireless technology. Mailings carrying information about how to take advantage of the new technology are being sent to incoming students. AU is also offering a Web site where students can go to find information about special pricing offered by computer and cell phone vendors.

Discussions with a number of vendors are in the works, but Myers notes that getting a cellular provider like Cingular on board was no easy task--and that's something that business officers need to keep in mind when considering such a comprehensive project.

"The phone companies are out there, thinking about selling one phone service connection at a time, and they don't see the business opportunity of going into a dosed campus community," Myers says. "We went to them and said, `Look, we have this opportunity and if you make this attractive enough for us, not only will our students and faculty be using your service, but we will market it to our 45,000 alumni in the Washington area.'

"Then the light came on," Myers continues. "Cingular realized that when a student graduates, maybe she will stay with the company from that point on. It's a new business model for them."

Despite early challenges, AU administrators are optimistic about the project's ultimate success. "Anytime you're first out of the box, you're going to go through growing pains," Myers says. "We're prepared for that."