Administrators and faculty of UALR’s School of Mass Communications recycled 15 iMac G3 computers for students in the Magnolia School District, despite dealing with the red-tape of rules governing the disposal of state property.

The usual procedure is for the computers to be sent to surplus property, stored, and listed as available for other state agencies to acquire.

Dr. J. Mark Giese, assistant professor of mass communications, met Magnolia School District curriculum coordinators Nancy Lewis and Kim Wyrick through his participation in the Education Renewal Zone. He thought the Internet-capable iMac G3s with software packages that included Word, Excel, and Power Point would be of more use in Magnolia’s elementary and secondary classrooms now rather than potentially gathering dust in a warehouse waiting for another state agency to find them.

The Education Renewal Zone is a program designed to bridge resources available through institutes of higher learning with the needs of Arkansas’ public schools.

The UALR equipment should be in use in Magnolia by the start of the spring semester.