The demand for technology has been another factor driving the college construction boom. Today's high school graduates lug laptops to college and expect their dorm rooms to have desk, bed, and computer connections to the campus network. Rare is the college that lacks a classroom building packed with video-conferencing and Internet equipment. It's expected by the students - no big deal. It's a very big deal for the colleges.
Technology is very expensive.
Others have formed purchasing consortia to buy technology at favorable rates. The financial obligations do not end once equipment is installed. Schools must provide for maintenance and continuous technology upgrades. And they need professionals to run and maintain the systems. Holy Family College in Northeast Philadelphia, while paring staff in recent years to offset an enrollment decline, still saw a need to add a position - vice president for information technology.