Seton Hall giving students Windows 8 tablets and ultrabooks


Seton Hall has been at the forefront of using technology for the past 14 years.

Earlier this year, Seton Hall University announced that it was giving all incoming freshmen this fall a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone. Now, according to Microsoft, the university is also giving incoming freshmen and returning juniors Samsung Series 7 tablets or Samsung Series 5 ultrabooks running Windows 8.

The university also has decided to standardize on the Windows platform to help reduce its IT support and maintenance costs, officials said.

“We have a responsibility to give all our students access to the technology they need to be successful learners today, as well as future leaders in the workplace,” said President Gabriel Esteban. “By putting the most advanced mobile computing system in the hands of all of our students, regardless of prior experience or socio-economic background, we are leveling the playing field and creating opportunities for tomorrow’s … leaders.”

Seton Hall has been at the forefront of using technology for the past 14 years through the school’s Mobile Computing Program, which provides a standard laptop to all its undergraduates as part of their tuition and fees.

Along with Windows phones and tablets or ultrabooks, Seton Hall has also equipped incoming freshmen with Office 365 for education, the web-based version of Office that Microsoft recently said it would offer to students and faculty free of charge. The Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phones will provide seamless integration with the students’ Windows 8 desktop environment, giving them access to familiar programs and documents on both devices, officials said.

“From students’ perspectives, Windows 8 delivers an environment that allows them to be as productive as possible,” said Stephen Landry, chief information officer, Seton Hall. “They want integration of their tablet experience with their desktop experience, and products like Microsoft Office 365 for education help make that possible. Other devices out there have the form factor and battery life, but miss the mark on offering efficient content creation and consumption.”

Seton Hall also will upgrade the entire campus to Office 365 for education, Microsoft’s communications and collaboration cloud suite, which provides eMail, shared calendars, Microsoft Office Web Apps (such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), video and online meeting capabilities, and document sharing. This will ensure that not just students, but also faculty and staff, have a familiar user experience across all their devices, allowing for greater productivity and teamwork—no matter what compatible device they are working on at any given time.

“Windows 8 provides us with the ability to manage thousands of devices on our campus network that other operating systems just didn’t provide,” Landry said. “We couldn’t manage these devices without the help and the tools that Microsoft has provided.”

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