Monday October 29, 2001

Facility considered remarkable despite lack of some technology

The ILC will open in January without the high-end technology many UA officials anticipated, but many of the students and parents who attended Friday's dedication of the center still said they found it impressive.

University of Arizona budget cuts forced officials to halt the opening of the Media Center, the heart of the $20-million Integrated Learning Center that will allow faculty to index their lectures through video capture.

But the Information Commons, the largest part of the ILC, will open in January. This area connects the Main Library with the ILC and houses 250 state-of-the-art computers, which will be installed before the center opens in January.

John Michelotti, a sophomore majoring in English, stood at the top of the Information Commons - on the same level as the Main Library basement - and looked down the passageway toward the ILC courtyard.

"I can't wait until it's all done," Michelotti said. "This is going to be a huge improvement over the library computer lab."

Michelotti said living without the UA Mall his freshman year while the center was being built was a worthy sacrifice.

Mark Thompson, an atmospheric science freshman, said he visited the UA his senior year of high school when the construction on the ILC was well underway.

Walking through the courtyard of the center for the first time, Thompson realized just how large a project the ILC was.

"I think it's going to be great," he said. "It looks much better than last year when it was under construction."

Janet Fore, head of the Undergraduate Services Team, served as the guide for parents touring the facility.

"All the parents I have talked to are very excited," she said. "We are hoping it makes library information and research more available and more accessible and at the same time easier."

Randy Richardson, interim vice president of undergraduate education, said the technologically advanced ILC is not meant to replace instructors with computers.

"It's an enhancement of learning by putting technology to better use for students and faculty," he said.

That enhancement won't fully come into play until the Media Center opens, which may not be until January 2003.

In the meantime, however, parents responded positively to the incomplete product.

"Technology is so important today," said Dean Antrobus, a UA parent touring the facility. "We looked at this when it was under construction, and it's great to see it opened up."