Lyon College selects Lyon Experience laptop vendor

• Incoming students to receive Lenovo ThinkPad R61 notebooks

June 9, 2008 - Batesville, Ark. - Freshmen and transfer students entering Lyon College this fall will be provided with Lenovo ThinkPad R61 laptops, college officials announced today. 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 Government, Inc. of Vernon Hills, Ill., a leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to educators and governments, was selected to provide ThinkPad R61 laptops 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 loaner laptops available to students as needed.

"Lyon was among the first institutions in the state to feature a fully wireless campus," said Lyon's 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' 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 the hard drive safe if a student were to accidentally spill something on the laptop.

Lyon students will receive their computers as part of the college's Red Carpet Days beginning August 21 when all new students arrive for orientation. Neal said Lenovo and CDW-G representatives will be on hand during the event to show students how to use the new laptops and answer any questions.

Lyon College is an independent, residential, co-educational, four-year undergraduate liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Located in Batesville, Arkansas, Lyon is ranked in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report's Best Liberal Arts Colleges and 23^rd in the nation on its list of best values.

Lenovo ThinkPad R61 specifications

The ThinkPad R61 notebook is designed with the education environment in mind. It has a spill resistant keyboard tray, shock resistant hard drive, metal hinges securing the display to the computer, and a roll cage designed around the screen and computer. These features are designed to help protect against accidents, bumps, scrapes and loss of information.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 Processor (1.8 GHZ, 2MB, 800MHz)

Memory: 2GB PC2-5300 RAM                                                                                                                                                        

Storage: 160 GB 5400rpm Serial ATA Hard Drive                                                                                                                        

Optical drive: DVD Recordable Optical Drive                                                                                                                                  

Video graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100                                                                                                               

Screen size: 15.4"WXGA Widescreen Display                                                                                                                           

Integrated communications: Intel Pro Wireless 3945AGB, Bluetooth                                                                                      

Available ports: Line-in, Microphone, Headphone, Modem, Ethernet, 3 - USB 2.0, VGA out, Docking                              

Security: Integrated Fingerprint Reader                                                                                                                                      

Camera: Integrated Webcam                                                                                                                                                       

Navigation: UltraNav TackPad and UltraNav Track Point                                                                                                            

Battery: 6-cell Lithium Ion Battery (3.5-5.0 hour batter life between charges)                                                                         

Operating system: Microsoft Windows Vista Business Operating System                                                                             

Warranty: 3-year onsite warranty                                                                                                                                                       

Weight: Approximately 6.5 pounds                                                                                                                                                

Installed software: Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher), First Class Client (e-mail), McAfee Virus Scan, Google Earth, Citrix Client Access (printing and access to department specific software)

Lyon College Director of Information Services Charles Neal demonstrates the Lenovo ThinkPad R61. The college has selected vendor CDW-G to provide ThinkPads to all of Lyon's incoming freshmen and transfer students as part of the Lyon Experience program.