Regents OK computer upgrades

Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents voted Friday to spend $2.4 million over the next six years to upgrade the school's computer systems.

In other business, school president Dr. Ken Dobbins said the university will start conducting criminal background checks as part of hiring new faculty. The decision was made by the administration and didn't require board action.

School officials said they plan to dump the school's old mainframe equipment and software and replace it with software and servers that will make it easier to share information between campus offices. The computer upgrades also will make it easier for students to do everything from check grades to registering for classes, officials said.

The upgrades will provide students with personalized access to the Internet, said Dr. Dennis Holt, vice president of administration and enrollment management. When students log on, the system will know recognize them and instantly provide them links to their classes and other individualized information.

Holt told the regents the cost will be borne through cost savings including the elimination of some computer technician jobs through retirements and lower computer maintenance expenses, and internal reallocations.