In terms of usage, our current networking lab facilities (BT-255)  have reached a critical juncture.  There are several courses that require the use of this room (CIT 116 – Networking 1, CIT 203 – Networking 2, CSS 224 – Network Perimeter Security, etc.) and, due mostly to the increasing number of PTECH students, the number of sections that must be scheduled in this room have grown dramatically.  We have taken several drastic measures to reduce the number of classes utilizing this room.  For example, in the Spring 2018 semester we have moved the lecture sections of several courses (e.g CIT 116 – Networking 1) out of BT-255, leaving only the lab section of this course scheduled in this room.  While this does help with the scheduling load, it is not an optimal solution – instructors cannot use the lab equipment during lectures to illustrate or reinforce complex topics, lab time is no longer fluidly connected with theoretical topics, but is rather rigidly regimented to particular hours, etc.

As such, last year we proposed a new Networking laboratory space in Newburgh. This would not only alleviate some of the scheduling burden on our current lab facilities, but would allow us to be more adaptable in offering PTECH courses given the transportation issues and limitations for these students.  It would also allow us to offer some of our programs at the Newburgh campus.  As this project has not been funded, we are submitting it again this year in the hope that the administration will realize its merits.  Given that furnishing such a lab is expensive, we are entering two separate possible ways to equip this laboratory space:

Option 1:  Outfit this lab with new equipment – This is obviously the best way to move forward.  However, given that the cost for doing so may have been prohibitively expensive, we have reduced our requirements from four racks (which would replicate our Middletown lab) to two.  While this may force students to share equipment (routers, switches, etc.), and will force us to reconfigure equipment between class sections, it is within acceptable parameters.

Option 2:  Outfit this lab with refurbished equipment - This option is listed under a separate initiative labelled "Newburgh Networking Lab (Refurbished)".

Recall that neither of the above options include infrastructure cabling for the new lab.  As each of the twenty stations in the lab must be cabled separately from a patch block to each rack, this is significant undertaking.  We have no cost estimate  for this as the previous lab was cabled by members of our IT staff.  As such, we know it can be done in-house.  However, if we were to utilize an external contractor, this would represent a significant expense. 

NOTE:  due to the nature of the material being taught, our current networking laboratory in Middletown is on a subnet isolated from the remainder of the campus LAN.  It might be prudent to consider a similar arrangement at the Newburgh campus.