July 28, 2000
Microsoft Agreement Reaches Nearly 200,000 Students, Other Users in First Year
A groundbreaking software licensing agreement between Microsoft and an
education consortium led by the University System of Maryland (USM) has put the
company's most popular software in the hands of nearly 200,000 students and
educators in Maryland in only one year, according to USM officials.
The $1.5 million enterprise agreement, established last July with the
Maryland Education Enterprise Consortium (MEEC), has resulted in the placement
of more than 155,000 copies of Microsoft Office on computer desktops in Maryland
schools, from public universities to independent K-12 institutions. In addition,
a total of 40,402 student licenses for the software have been issued for use on
students' PCs, bringing the total number of licenses to just over 195,000. The
income generated by the agreement tops $3 million.
Under the MEEC agreement, students, teachers and staff members in dozens of
Maryland school systems, community colleges, independent colleges, and public
universities both within and outside the University System, have access to
desktop productivity tools, infrastructure server and messaging products, and
operating systems upgrades for three years.
Institutions pay less than $14 per license for each year of the three-year
agreement, with two optional years available after that. The software suites,
which include word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation programs, as well
as Microsoft's internet browser, normally retail to educators for around $150
each. The agreement is not exclusive - participating schools and colleges are
free to use and support any other software products they choose.
Donald N. Langenberg, chancellor of the University System of Maryland and the
originator of the MEEC agreement, said the high number of users indicates that
reliable, accessible software is a key component to the success of PCs in
education.
"The personal computer could be and should be the modern day equivalent
of the chalkboard in our classrooms," Langenberg said. "The potential
for this teaching and learning tool is simply enormous. But, just like a
chalkboard, it's only good if you have the chalk to go with it. That's how
we must see software - as the tool that completes the toolbox. A year into
this agreement, it's clear that first-rate software - made both affordable
and easily available - is essential to achieving the goal of computer fluency
for all Maryland students, from kindergarten through graduate school."
According to USM officials, a total of 11 MEEC campuses currently license the
software for students. They are: St. Mary's College, the U.S. Naval Academy,
Capitol College, Villa Julie College, St. Mary's Seminary & University, the
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and five USM campuses,
including Frostburg State University, Salisbury State University, the University
of Maryland, Baltimore, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the
University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
The majority of MEEC participants - 81 other institutions - hold the
software licenses for PCs that are available to students, teachers and staff in
libraries, laboratories, offices, and other educational settings.
Using the contacts made through the original Microsoft agreement, the USM has
invited its MEEC partners to participate in other large-volume arrangements in
the past year, including a licensing agreement for anti-virus software. MEEC has
also joined with several state agencies to acquire training for information
technology staff via the Global Knowledge Network and KnowledgeNet. It is
currently negotiating with several other vendors for related products and
services.
Maryland is the only state that has such a far-reaching comprehensive
enterprise agreement with Microsoft. The consortium unites its entire education
system, public and independent, kindergarten through college. All 13 USM
institutions, all 16 institutions belonging to the Maryland Independent Colleges
and Universities Association, 15 of 16 community colleges, and 13 of 24 local
school systems, among others, have joined MEEC at the invitation of Chancellor
Langenberg. Educational institutions in Maryland not part of the initial MEEC
agreement are invited to join any time during the first two years of the
contract.
The USM serves as sole fiscal agent for the Microsoft agreement. The
University System of Maryland Service Center, located at Bowie State University,
administers the contract. Bell Education, a division of BellTech.logix, located
in Columbia, MD, working with MicroAge, a Microsoft-approved large account
reseller, provides the software. Bell Education also provides the technical
training.
Because of its size, the University System of Maryland can leverage its
buying power by negotiating high volume contracts. This model of economies of
scale made the Microsoft agreement a natural outgrowth of the System's
initiative to develop synergies between the primary, secondary, and
higher-education sectors.
Contact:
Chris Hart
Phone: 301/445-2739
Pager: 301/507-2316
E-mail: chart@usmd.edu
