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Mission, History and Religious Affiliation Admissions, Expenses and Financial Aid Scholarships and Special Endowed Funds Catalog Statement and Policies
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Academic Services Information Technology Services ITS, the office of Information Technology Services, coordinates the development and use of computer, network and telecommunications resources at Macalester. These resources include the campus-wide local area network, Internet connections, general-use desktop computing facilities, administrative and faculty computers, the College switchboard and telecommunications systems. ITS maintains centralized servers for file storage, printing and electronic mail, as well as a Help Desk and locally produced documentation for important features of these services. Computers are used extensively throughout the curriculum, and Macalester provides student access to computer resources both for academic research/course work and for individual explorations. The College furnishes approximately 400 computers for student use; roughly 150 of these are available for general student use, in staffed computer labs located in the basement of DeWitt Wallace Library and on the lower level of Kagin Commons. A 24-hour lab in Kirk Hall is staffed during class hours. These labs support a mixture of Apple Macintosh and Windows PC workstations, as well as networked printers. Students may borrow specially configured notebook computers in the library and campus center for wireless connection to the network. There are unstaffed, 24-hour labs in Dupre 253 and 353. The remaining student-use computers are dispersed through 26 academic departmental facilities dedicated to discipline-specific instructional objectives. These facilities include Linux-based laboratories in the department of mathematics and computer science, where students are taught introductory and advanced courses in programming (currently emphasized languages and applications include C++, Java, Mathematica, Scheme and Prolog) as well as many other aspects of computer use and design. The department of economics uses a Macintosh-based teaching classroom to help students master econometrics, statistics and other mathematical tools. The department of psychology utilizes clusters of Macintoshes and PCs to aid students in quantitative methods and cognition. The department of biology maintains one teaching classroom and a number of small computer clusters to help students visualize and experiment with ideas presented in class. One of the laboratories in the physics and astronomy department is equipped with microcomputers to permit real-time experimentation, and the observatory relies on high-end Linux workstations to gather and analyze astronomical data. Other academic uses of information technologies include mathematical modeling, CAD and 2-D print design, computational/statistical analysis, interactive multimedia language learning and musical composition. Use of computers in support of Macalester's educational objectives is assisted by a wide range of facilities and initiatives. ITS maintains two computer classrooms for occasional use by any instructor. These rooms are equipped with high-end PC and Macintosh computers, high-resolution data projectors and whiteboards. All academic classrooms are equipped with data ports so that faculty may connect laptop or desktop computers to the network for instructional purposes. Several classrooms in academic buildings have been designated as "presentation" classrooms, and are fully equipped with projection and presentation devices, computers, laptop connections and specialized lighting controls. Major grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation support faculty development of new classroom teaching approaches, augmented and strengthened with instructional technologies. Many faculty enrich their classroom teaching with Moodle, an online tool that includes electronic discussion forums, interactive exercises, and additional curricular resources such as research data and scholarly databases. The College operates a high-speed local area network connecting all academic and administrative buildings, and the permanent residence halls. This network provides excellent capabilities for accessing the internet, through both wired and wireless. Students may bring and connect personally-owned computers to the network, which supports the most common modern network standards for both Windows and Macintosh computers. (Students are not required to purchase or own computers.) Permanent residence hall rooms are wired with one Ethernet port per pillow. Wireless access is available in most classrooms and public/group spaces on campus, including residence hall lounges, conference rooms, the campus center and the library. In addition to the residence hall network connections, students are provided with voicemail boxes, access to a central e-mail server, access to file and print servers, networked storage space and accounts to utilize these services. Students may create their own web pages. There is no extra charge for any of these services. All computing endeavors at Macalester, whether by students, staff members or faculty members, are governed by the Information Technology Responsible Use Policy. You can explore Macalester's resources and programs on the World Wide Web at http://www.macalester.edu using any web browser. ITS's pages begin at http://www.macalester.edu/its/ The Macalester Academic Excellence (MAX) Center MAXimize your academic potential! The MAX Center supports students so that they can do their best possible academic work. The MAX Center focuses on: a) the disciplines of math, science, and writing; b) the skills required for good time management and study habits; c) building a culturally diverse learning community; and d) academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Free group and individual assistance is available in mathematics, biology, chemistry, writing, general learning skills, and time management, among other areas. Assistance is also available to students preparing for graduate school examinations and writing graduate school applications, capstone papers, honors projects, applications for scholarships and study-abroad opportunities, etc. The MAX Center provides these services for all members of the Macalester community, but also provides specific services to develop culturally and racially diverse academic learning communities. The MAX Center provides services to accommodate students with documented disabilities as well. The chief goal of the MAX Center is for each student to obtain maximum learning from the Macalester College experience, with an eye toward all students developing life-long skills and benefits. In order to achieve this goal, the MAX Center is committed to anti-racism in all of its efforts. Library, Media and Web Services DeWitt Wallace Library Through innovative services and inviting facilities, the Library supports the mission of the College and is committed to the words from Macalester's Statement of Purpose and Belief: "We expect students to develop a broad understanding of the liberal arts while they are at Macalester.... Students should develop the ability to use information and communication resources effectively, be adept at critical, analytical and logical thinking, and express themselves well in both oral and written forms." Library staff are involved in the instructional mission of the College by providing reference service, classroom instruction, and informal classes and workshops. Personalized consultations for research assistance with library staff are encouraged, and made available upon request. All entering first year students are offered an orientation to library and computing services that provides them with a basic foundation and understanding of the extensive scholarly resources available in an academic environment. In addition, these sessions provide an introduction to the variety of staff members who are available to provide personal assistance for technology and research needs. This initial orientation is followed by a course-integrated session during first-year seminars, and then often by more specialized and discipline-focused instruction during intermediate and upper-level courses. In addition to traditional academic library circulation, interlibrary loan, and course reserves services, the library "pioneered" electronic reserves, and many faculty take advantage of this ability to provide students with online access to course readings. Located at the heart of the campus and designed as a community gathering space, the library building provides ample study space, comfortably housing up to one-third of the student body at any one time. Individual, small group, and larger sized rooms are available to accommodate the needs of the community. The building features a recently redesigned computer lab, including an "imaging annex" geared toward imaging needs and web-page creation. Community members take advantage of a wireless network in the library, either using their own laptops or by checking out a laptop from our circulating "pool." The library collection includes nearly half-a-million volumes and 1400 periodical and newspaper subscriptions, the building is open over 100 hours a week during the academic year, with extended hours until 3:00am during finals periods. A 24 x 7 study space is offered in the "Link"—an area with vending machines connecting the library with Old Main. Recognizing early on that library services transcend physical spaces and individual collections, much time and effort is spent on developing our "virtual" library at www.macalester.edu/library. Here one can readily search our online catalog shared with seven other private Twin Cities colleges and universities with access to over two million volumes. Materials from the other colleges may be requested online, and are delivered via twice-daily courier service to our circulation desk. Macalester community members also have access, through interlibrary loan, to the research library collections at the University of Minnesota and beyond. In addition, the library offers a full range of networked online indexes and fulltext article databases, featuring subscription-level access to over 1500 online journals. Nearly all virtual library content can be accessed from off-campus, providing services to community members wherever they are needed—be it at home over the summer, or in another country during a study-away semester. Media Services provides professional educational media support to the Macalester academic program. Classroom technology, event support, video production, posters and graphics and a full range of audiovisual equipment and materials are accessible to all students and faculty. In addition, new technologies such as international TV reception, satellite teleconferences, and video streaming are now available. Media Services has a rapidly growing collection of over 6,000 videocassettes and DVD titles, which are accessible through the online catalog. More information about Media Services will be found on our web pages at www.macalester.edu/mediaservices.
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