Sul Ross State University

SRSU proposes three project activities. First, to address the issue of actual usable broadband infrastructural capacity at the Alpine campus, SRSU proposes significant upgrades to the networking hardware on site. These upgrades will not only enable tapping into current available infrastructure but also provide a degree of future proofing and institutional flexibility. Second, on the Rio Grande College campuses, existing classrooms, auditoriums, labs, and conference rooms, which are frequently used not just for educational and institutional purposes but also provide a space for community access to the campus infrastructure, upgrades will be made to ensure flexible educational and community spaces provide not just basic access but access and broadcast capabilities that replicate the effectiveness of in-person learning and meetings. Third, SRSU will pilot a program that provides capable laptops to qualifying students who testify that they do not have a personal laptop of their own. The effectiveness of this laptop provision will be evaluated throughout the project to determine its impact on student success, and, should it prove successful, all efforts will be made to secure future funding to implement the program in the long-term.

At the SRSU Alpine Campus, upgrades will take advantage of recent infrastructural improvements to bring networking capabilities into the 21st century. At the three campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde which comprise SRSU’s Rio Grande College, improvements will ensure that the commuter and simulcast learning style of the campus provides students an opportunity to excel which meets or exceeds the opportunity of students who attend in-person learning elsewhere. Finally, the laptop provision program will put students who would otherwise be at a technological disadvantage on even footing with their peers and measure the results.

Students, faculty, and staff across Sul Ross State University's four campuses in Alpine, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde, Texas will benefit from campus broadband upgrades and campus infrastructure upgrades. Additionally, up to students will be selected from eligible SRSU applicants to receive a laptop for use throughout their enrollment at the institution.

The recipient does not intend to subaward funds.