RUNet 2000 will receive additional federal funds Archived article from Jan 19, 2001 By Joseph Blumberg   RUNet 2000, Rutgers' project to implement a comprehensive, advanced information and communication network, will receive a $3.1 million appropriation as part of the 2001 federal budget. This support will come from the Department of Education's Technology Innovation Challenge Grants program, which aids ventures that use technology for the benefit of the nation's educational system. "This is the third consecutive year that the federal government has provided significant funding for RUNet 2000," said President Francis L. Lawrence. "This appropriation is the result of the work and vision of our elected representatives in Washington. The new funding will support our threefold mission of teaching and learning, research and discovery, and engagement with our communities." The efforts by New Jersey's congressional delegation to secure the funding were spearheaded by U.S. Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Torricelli and U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone and Rodney Frelinghuysen. Their contributions included providing testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and sending a letter to the subcommittee signed by all 13 of New Jersey's House members in support of funding for the project. This $3.1 million appropriation brings total federal funding for RUNet 2000 to approximately $8 million; the overall cost of RUNet is approximately $100 million. RUNet 2000's progress to date includes the installation of wiring in 25 academic/administrative buildings and 90 residence halls, about half of which also have live RU-TV connections. The federal funding has helped connect Rutgers with educational institutions in Newark, Camden and New Brunswick, including the LEAP Academy in Camden and the Newark Public Library and Newark Museum. Future plans include connections to Science High School in Newark and Lincoln School, Livingston School and the high school in New Brunswick, as well as participation in Digital Newark, an initiative to stimulate collaboration among high schools, universities and community groups. "As one of the final acts of my Senate career, I was pleased to help Rutgers secure funds for the RUNet 2000 project," Lautenberg said. "It's critical that Rutgers' wealth of resources be made available to the faculty and students as well as the larger community beyond the university walls. I commend Dr. Lawrence for his dedication to bringing Rutgers computer technology into the 21st century." "RUNet 2000, when complete, will be a state-of-the-art advance in interactive communications," Torricelli said. "It will allow an advanced mathematics course, taught in Newark, to be available to an exceptional high school student in Atlantic City. It will open the collection of the Alexander Library in New Brunswick to a continuing education student in Camden. It will make the university truly universal." Pallone said that the RUNet 2000 project "will provide students and teachers at all levels with unprecedented access to the resources of one of America's great universities," while Frelinghuysen noted that "Rutgers continues to pave the way on the information superhighway by developing technology that improves computer networks and educational opportunities."

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