Technology Master Plan:
Letter from the President
Since its founding in 1958, College of the Desert has grown into a vibrant, state-of-the-art center for higher education—preparing students to transfer to four-year universities or providing them with the skills they need for a successful career.
Over the last six decades, the Coachella Valley has watched as their community college has evolved to take a place among the fastest growing community colleges in California. With population increasing and demand for education rising, the College has grown to serve almost 18,000 students annually.
The following Technology Master Plan creates a foundation and vision for planning, implementation and the policy making that governs our technology usage at College of the Desert.
When extraordinary circumstances arise, like the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan provides clear guidance and lays the framework for sound decision making. On March 17, 2020, when the College and most other institutions and businesses were ordered closed through the end of April by the State and the Riverside County Public Health Department, our employees didn’t head home for some extended time off. They went to work figuring out how to best utilize our technological resources to ensure teaching and learning would continue, despite the unprecedented situation that confronted us.
The endeavor went well beyond shifting all classes to an online format. Fortunately, innovation and teamwork are not in short supply at College of the Desert. In a little more than two weeks’ time, all classes, including science labs were online and continuing on schedule, putting College of the Desert at the forefront of this effort statewide.
Situations like this reinforce the importance of technology in the delivery of quality education. That is why the College is partnering with technology leader CENIC to provide a world-class computing network for our students. Our future Palm Springs campus will be the hub for a high-speed, 100 gigabyte link to CENIC’s nonprofit California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity network designed to meet the unique needs of more than 20 million users.
Whether they head to a four-year university or the start of their careers, we are providing students with a solid foundation for success. No matter where their academic journey takes them, we remain committed to creating a better life for each and every student so that they can create their tomorrow.
Joel L. Kinnamon, Ed.D.
Superintendent/President
