Penn State Computers Handle Two Million E-Mail Notes Daily

March 14, 2000
University Park, PA -- Electronic communication has become a way of life at Penn State. University computers often handle more than 2 million e-mail files daily–and the number is steadily increasing.

"This is an unprecedented level of electronic communication for virtually any college or university in the nation," Russell Vaught, senior director of the Center for Academic Computing, said.

"E-mail has become the major means of communication for our faculty, students and staff. They do little by way of telephone or regular mail. They have found electronic communication to be a lot easier and more effective. E-mail probably is the most frequently used means of communication at Penn State other than face-to-face conversation"

Penn State has encouraged use of electronic communication, especially for its approximately 81,000 students. Every student is given an e-mail account without charge.

According to Vaught, 98 percent of students at the University Park Campus have activated–and are using–their accounts, while the percentage university-wide is 95 percent.

"As an educational institution, one of our goals is to help students learn how to live better lives," he said. "We want them to learn how to effectively communicate electronically since that is something they will need to do in the future."

Vaught said the University’s e-mail files have increased tenfold in order of magnitude in the last five years. Over that period, the Center for Academic Computing has been upgrading its equipment and last month installed a new large computer to help handle the load.

"We continually monitor the number and size of our e- mail files and will add new computers when necessary to handle the growth. At the same time, we continue to address privacy concerns. We treat privacy of e-mail very seriously."

While electronic communication continues to grow, so does use of personal computers and the Internet as a primary means of distributing information about Penn State to those within and outside the University community.

Vaught estimates that Penn State sites on the Worldwide Web receive a half-million "hits" daily.

Students can apply for admissions online. The University’s faculty-staff newspaper, Intercom, is available online. Most of the academic colleges have a Web site through which they provide information about programs and policies, and each of the campuses has a Web site.

Penn State students also can get their grades online and, through the Bursar’s Office Web site, can check the status of their bills. Faculty and staff can obtain various forms and a wide range of information from various Web sites. The Office of Human Resources, for example, provides extensive information through its Web page and all insurance forms are accessible online.

"A growing percentage of University business involving faculty, staff and students can be done online," Vaught said. " And it will continue to grow as we make more use of personal computers and the Internet."

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Contact: Christy Rambeau 814-865-7517 or e-mail at