Tech Center Debut
New Tech Center hosting open house, Sept. 3-4
Holyoke Community College will celebrate the grand opening of its new Tech Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 3., at 11:30 a.m.
The HCC Tech Center, located on the second floor of the HCC Campus Center, is a new space dedicated to providing students with all the technological support they need to be successful.
“We provide the first level of support to students and all their personal devices – laptops, cell phones, tablets,” said Tech Center manager Walter Pfau. “If it’s got a screen and a power button, we’ll help them troubleshot it. But the heart of this space isn’t about fixing devices, it’s about helping students feel more capable, more technologically independent, and, ultimately, more connected.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony leads off a two-day open house in the Tech Center, which coincides with the HCC Resource Fair running Sept. 3 and 4 nearby in the HCC cafeteria.
Funding for the Tech Center came from a $250,000 “Tech Rise” grant HCC received from the Employment and Training Administration, which is part of the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The money was principally used to buy furniture, computers, and other technology for the center, as well as the hiring of student interns.
Besides Pfau and other IT staff, the Tech Center will be run by a team of student interns who can also offer one-on-one support to their classmates who need assistance with their devices, and computer programs and apps.
“Interns not only provide peer support but also co-develop resources, assist and lead training sessions, and bring fresh ideas to campus-wide technology conversations,” said Pfau. “This spirit of innovation and collaboration aligns with HCC’s mission to ‘educate, inspire, and connect,’ empowering students to build digital confidence and community at the same time.”
Previously, students, along with HCC faculty and staff, had to go across campus to the first floor of the Frost Building to the IT Help Desk for all their computer needs. The HCC Tech Center is more centrally located, across from Student Engagement, adjoining the HCC Bookstore, and steps away from the cafeteria and food court, where students tend to congregate between classes.
In addition to one-on-one tech support, the Tech Center also has computer stations for students to use, a classroom for interactive workshops and meetings, and cubicles where other HCC support staff, such as financial aid counselors, can set up shop during special events, like Registration Express and Accepted Students Days.
“The Tech Center is an extension of the IT Help Desk, but it goes beyond the physical repairs that the Help Desk is set up for,” said Scott Conrad, director of IT services. “This will allow us to spend more time on the in-depth problems students might have.”
PHOTOS: (Thumbnail) Tech Center assistant Jenille Jones talks to IT director Kim Florek in the HCC Tech Center. (Above) HCC student Julius Dixon works at a computer station in the HCC Tech Center.
