By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 1-15-08
GREENSBORO, NC – Greensboro’s two state universities announced plans Tuesday, Jan. 15, for a collaborative effort to build a Joint Primary Data Center (JPDC) at the south campus of the Gateway University Research Park near I-85 in Greensboro.
The plan was explained by Chancellor Stanley F. Battle of North Carolina A&T State University and Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The two met with members of the Guilford County legislative delegation today, along with campus and community leaders, to discuss the importance of this development for the community and the state, as well as for both universities.
“We anticipate that this center will accelerate the growth of the Gateway University Research Park South Campus and our two universities,” Chancellors Battle and Sullivan said. “It will benefit Greensboro, the Triad, and North Carolina.” This collaboration between NCA&T and UNCG involves fundamental university operations and builds on previous collaborations such as the nanoscience school and the joint program in Social Work.
NCA&T and UNCG are both classified as “Doctoral/High Research Activity” universities, and both need new, larger data centers. As their research and administrative needs increase, the two research universities will need increased information technology processing capacity.
The Gateway Park is a joint NCA&T/ UNCG venture, and its South Campus soon will have research-focused buildings for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. The South Campus does not yet have a data center.
A data center houses the most important and most costly information technology resources to support academic and administrative activities. Because of the power, air conditioning and security requirements, building and operating these kinds of centers is very expensive.
Building appropriate data centers on the already space-constrained campuses of NCA&T and UNCG, plus the cost of building an appropriate center at the Gateway Park South Campus – three separate data centers – is estimated to cost as much as $102 million. Building one large, robust joint data center at the South Campus would cost $46 million – saving the State of North Carolina as much as $56 million, plus undetermined savings in annual operating costs.
Sullivan and Battle said that such a move is a good illustration of the kind of savings possible through carefully planned collaboration. President Erskine Bowles’ system-wide PACE efficiency initiative recommended such collaboration.
Both chancellors are revising their universities’ capital facility priority lists to make the JPDC one of the top two capital priorities for each campus. Reflecting the joint nature of this facility, Chancellors Battle and Sullivan each will list $23 million on his/her university’s capital list, and will seek full funding of the $46 million JPDC in the 2008 General Assembly session.
Over the past six months, staff members at NCA&T and UNCG have developed a JPDC operating plan and detailed technical specifications. Heading the effort were information technology vice chancellors Dr. James Clotfelter (UNCG, 336-334-5426) and Dr. Vijay Verma (NCA&T, 336-256-0543).
The news conference to announce the proposal drew wide coverage, including the media below:
• News & Record, Greensboro
• News 2, WFMY-TV, Greensboro
• Triad Business Journal
• News 14 Carolina, Greensboro
