CAMPUS NEWS

    A recent survey of 4,900 Albany alumni from the classes of 1965 through 1994 reveals that, overall, the majority of graduates are pleased with their Albany experience and would attend the University again. 
    Survey results indicated that:

78 percent of the respondents rated the University “good” or “excellent”

75 percent consider UAlbany one of the best educational values in the United States

67 percent would attend the University again

94 percent would recommend UAlbany to a friend

UAlbany earned the highest marks for: 

the quality of academic programs 
the quality of instruction in the major

preparation of students for lifelong learning

contributions to social, personal, and intellectual growth

cultural and ethnic diversity of the student body

While alumni overall rated very favorably Albany’s contribution to 16 educational outcomes they defined as important to their current endeavors, more-recent graduates ranked higher still the University's impact on nine of those outcomes:

speaking effectively

writing effectively 

applying computer technologies

working as a team member 
setting clear goals

developing time-management skills

reading with greater speed and accuracy

getting along with people of diverse backgrounds

getting along with those whose opinions differ from their own

    The other seven important educational outcomes included developing a sound base of knowledge and skills; thinking and learning systematically; engaging in lifelong learning; developing ethical standards and values; honing problem-solving skills; and developing leadership skills and self-confidence. 
    Part of a SUNY-wide initiative, the alumni survey was developed over a two-year period by UAlbany’s Office of Institutional Research; representatives of other State University of New York campuses; and ACT, formerly known as the American College Testing Program. 
     University at Albany Director of Institutional Research Wendell Lorang anticipates that the survey will be conducted every three years. Adds Lorang: “Our office is currently considering the administration of department-specific alumni surveys of undergraduate and graduate degree recipients. Such surveys would directly assist departments in assessing and improving their academic programs.”
    The alumni survey constitutes part of an ongoing program of research that began 16 years ago, with enrolled students polled every three years since 1985. Now under the direction of Bruce Szelest, assistant director of institutional research, UAlbany’s student and alumni opinion survey program is helping administrators to evaluate campus programs and effect necessary changes.

    International Business Machines and the University have announced a major expansion at UAlbany's state-of-the-art supercomputing research facility.
    John E. Kelly, III, general manager of IBM's Microelectronics Division and vice chair of the Semiconductor Industry Association board, said, “The semiconductor research at UAlbany has achieved national and international recognition. IBM's continued support of the University's cutting-edge supercomputer facility highlights the importance that IBM and the semiconductor industry place on supporting such leading research enterprises. We look forward to continuing our joint initiatives with the University in support of IBM's technology roadmap and New York State's economic prosperity.”
    UAlbany President Karen R. Hitchcock added, “We are delighted with this critical expansion of the advanced computing capabilities at the University at Albany. It provides our faculty, students, and University and industry partners in the region and state with an impressive and exciting array of educational training and research opportunities. Our partnership with IBM continues to reap significant technical and economic benefits for the University, the region, and state. These benefits would not have been possible without the proactive leadership and key investments that Governor George Pataki, Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Speaker Sheldon Silver continue to provide in support of high tech industry in New York.”
    The expansion will further enhance UAlbany's semiconductor research and development programs and workforce training initiatives. IBM and the University's Center for Advanced Technology have already spent $875,000 to create a “gigaflop” sized supercomputer that can handle a billion flops a second. With the $750,000 expansion -- the second phase in a multi-year program - the University will build a “teraflop” sized computer, capable of computing performance that equates to a trillion calculations per second.
     The expansion, which will be completed in March 2000, will add computing power and memory upgrades to UAlbany's existing high-performance IBM RS/6000 SP supercomputer system. The system is extensively used by UAlbany researchers as they confront the science and technology challenges associated with the development of new generations of computer chips.
     This added power is needed to research the next generation of semiconductor chips, which are used to power or store computer memory. It will also be used for research into biochips, micro- and nano-systems and ultra high-frequency communications devices.
    Trillions of calculations are needed in order to map out the location of millions of tiny wires that carry electronic messages across computer chips.
     Half the funding for the project is from IBM Worldwide's shared university resources program, which grants projects and services to universities and secondary schools around the globe. The Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology will supply the other half.
    Each partner invested $425,000 to install the original supercomputer, which was phase one of the project.
     Alain E. Kaloyeros, professor of physics and executive director of the Center for Advanced Thin Film Technology, said, “This ongoing partnership with IBM is the cornerstone in our long-term strategy to create one of the most advanced supercomputer facilities in the world at the University. The state-of-the-art capabilities of the RS/6000 will uniquely position our scientists to advance our multidisciplinary research programs in microelectronics, bioelectronics, telecommunications, and energy, including our cutting-edge research ventures with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute under the Focus Center-New York.”