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Keith Nichols, News Services, 919/515-3470

Jan. 20, 2006

NC State Named One of Nation’s ‘Most Connected’ Campuses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

North Carolina State University is among the 25 “Most Connected Campuses” in the nation, according to The Princeton Review. The list, featuring the results of a survey to find the colleges and universities offering the most cutting-edge technology, is available on the Web at www.forbes.com/connected.

To identify the schools on the list, The Princeton Review collected responses to a survey on campus technology from colleges included in its best-selling college guidebook, “The Best 361 Colleges.” Criteria included the breadth of the computer science curriculum; the sophistication of campus technology, including streaming media of classes and extracurricular offerings; availability of school-owned digital cameras and equipment for student use; wireless Internet access on campus; and support for handheld computing.

“It’s fitting that the state’s flagship university for science and technology be among the nation’s elite when it comes to support for computer connections,” Chancellor James L. Oblinger added. “NC State has sought to use technology in thoughtful and creative ways that promote success in the classroom. We’ve ensured that goal collaboratively, by engaging faculty, students and staff.”

“The schools on our list have demonstrated leadership in preparing and supporting students for life in the digital age,” said Rob Franek, vice president and publisher of The Princeton Review. “Students who understand the value of technology to both their career prospects and overall quality of life will want to pay special attention the schools on our list.”

“All of the 25 campuses on this elite list are all impressively well-connected, and they are all using technology in innovative, thought-provoking ways,” said Michael Noer, executive editor for news at Forbes.com. “Since the top schools all excel, we decided not to rank them this year.”

For more details on The Princeton Review’s “Most Connected Campuses” list, log onto Forbes.com at www.forbes.com/connected. Forbes.com will also offer a look at the technological differences between a dorm room in 1976 and one in 2006; an overview of new Web-based services that help students find roommates, order snacks and even do their laundry; a story about the unique challenges of securing computer networks on college campuses; and a feature on the Mars Stereo Imaging project, which uses networking technology to let undergraduates explore the surface of Mars.

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