Belmont University has invested more than $2 million in technology upgrades for the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business. The upgrades will enable virtual access to the school’s resources whether learning on campus, remotely, or in a hybrid model.
“We are … leading the field in building a virtual copy of our [on campus] technology, allowing students and faculty virtual access to our most sophisticated systems from anywhere in the world,” said Curb College Dean Doug Howard. “I am incredibly grateful to Belmont’s leadership for their commitment to invest in systems that keep our students at the forefront of the industry.”
As part of the investment, Belmont focused on improving remote access and upgrading its server. For remote access, the school installed 87 computers that are built to be high-end video and audio editing remote workstations. Belmont explained that students can access these systems with their computers from anywhere with an internet connection. Belmont believes this will improve education equity because students won’t need to own an expensive high-end computer or their own software licenses to work on projects if they aren’t on campus.
Additionally, the school upgraded its server and increased storage capacity by more than six times. Belmont explained that students in production-oriented classes use the server to store their projects. The upgrade gives students the ability to work directly from the server at speeds as fast or faster than internal and external hard drives, as well as have “seemingly infinite” access to storage space.
Over the spring and summer, Belmont will also be deploying a new file transfer solution to allow students to quickly and securely transfer large files to and from the server from any location.
“Belmont University’s strategic priorities are ready to adapt to change and embrace new technology so we can innovate – and this approach has prepared us for today’s very challenging environment,” said Curb College Technology Specialist Ron Romano. “[The investment in new technology] plugs right into this philosophy and gives our programs a technical foundation to evolve and thrive over the long run. In the end, we’ll be able to do an even better job of helping our students stay focused on strengthening their creativity and storytelling expertise and then get into the workforce with confidence.”
