Media Advisory

UNC to break ground on Information Technology
Services building; plans include facility for large-scale data

Media representatives are invited to cover the groundbreaking ceremony for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Information Technology Services building, designed specifically to accommodate the UNC community’s expanding central computing, networking and telecommunications needs.

Speakers at the ceremony will include: UNC Chancellor James Moeser; Dr. Daniel Reed, Chancellor’s eminent professor, vice chancellor for information technology and chief information officer; and Roger Perry, UNC Board of Trustees member.

In May 2002, the UNC Board of Trustees approved a workspace designed specifically for campus computing needs. N.C. higher education bonds provided $9,863,831 of the estimated $35 million cost of the 94,000-square-foot facility, whose final design was approved by the board in January 2004.

The building’s design will create an environment encouraging collaboration via shared workspaces, flexible office spaces and meeting rooms. Included will be an enterprise computing facility to house large-scale data, computing, networking and communications infrastructure. The 11,000-square-feet of environmentally controlled computer space will include a 2.3-megawatt electrical infrastructure, meeting current and future demands of UNC’s faculty and staff.

The building also will serve as a networking and telecommunications hub, and it includes offices and conference rooms for about 250 of UNC’s information technology professionals.

The new building is scheduled to open in December 2006.

Parking: Parking is available in the Dogwood parking deck on Manning Drive.

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ITS contact: Megan Bell, (919) 843-9922 or megan_bell@unc.edu

News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093