June 9, 2008
Lyon College News Bureau

All new students entering Lyon College this fall will be provided with ThinkPad R61 laptops, college officials announced Friday. The laptops are part of the college's Lyon Experience program that also features college-supported overseas travel and an experiential transcript that documents student accomplishments outside the classroom.

CDW-G of Chicago, a Lenovo vendor, has been selected to provide ThinkPad R61 laptops, formerly made by IBM, to Lyon's incoming freshmen and transfer students.

Lyon will lease and maintain the computers, which will be loaded with classroom-relevant software and e-mail and wireless capabilities, and make replacements available to students as needed.

"Lyon was among the first institutions in the state to feature a fully wireless campus," said Lyon President Walter Roettger. "Now, we've become the first college in the state and one of about 200 nationally to provide all new students with laptops. As a result, we will ensure that everyone is on a level playing field, extend classrooms throughout the campus and give our students unparalleled communications power. It gives our students another edge."

Lyon College Director of Information Services Charles Neal said the ThinkPad has many features that will be beneficial to students.

"The ThinkPad has features that were built with education in mind," he said. "That is what made me a fan of this product. And, CDW-G has an impressive track record that indicates they'll be a great partner."

The laptops' education features include an integrated fingerprint reader for information protection, hard drive shock protection, metal hinges and roll cage that increases durability, wireless and Bluetooth capabilities and web cams. Neal said the laptops also have drains within the computer to keep it safe if a student were to accident spill something on the machine.

Lyon students will receive their computers during the college's Red Carpet Days beginning Aug. 21 when all new students arrive for orientation. Neal said Thinkpad representatives will be on hand during the event to show students how to use the new laptops and answer any questions.

Charles Neal, director of information services at Lyon, tries out one of the new ThinkPad R61 laptop computers.