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Celebrating the Completion of the Five College Fiber Optic Network On April 30th, local and state officials will join the Five College Board of Directors and other principals in marking the completion of the Five College Fiber Optic Network with a gala celebration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The 53-mile-long network furnishes virtually unlimited bandwidth for educational and research purposes to the member institutions of the consortium Five Colleges, Incorporated, which oversaw its construction. Characterized as "the single largest investment in the history of the consortium," the network is also expected to benefit the seven area towns that fall within its footprint. The decision to build the network came in the wake of rising costs for leasing fiber coupled with increasing demand. After weighing various options, several years ago the Five College Board of Directors, who are the presidents of the four colleges -- Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith -- the Chancellor of the Amherst campus of University of Massachusetts, and the executive director of Five Colleges, Incorporated, decided that it would be more cost-effective to build, and own, their own network. In addition to its sheer size, the network furnishes much-needed infrastructure that is typically lacking in rural areas such as this. The schools are expected to donate some dark fiber to the towns through which the network passes. "This celebration will be an occasion to thank the many people who have contributed to the Five College Fiber Optic Network and made its completion possible," said Carol Christ, president of Smith College and president of Five Colleges. Christ will join her colleagues on the board in hosting the celebration. A brief program will get underway at 1:30 p.m. with welcoming remarks from the University Chancellor, John Lombardi. Page created 4/20/07 Home
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