Expanded Computer Network

Nine colleges and universities will soon join the 18 secondary schools already hooked into Kiewit Computation Center's model regional computer network.

A grant of $164,200 from the National Science Foundation will permit the linking of the multi-million dollar General Electric 635 computer with Bates College, Lewiston, Me.; Berkshire Community College, Pittsfield, Mass.; Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me.; Colby Junior College, New London, N. H.; Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vt.; Mt. Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass.; New England College, Henniker, N. H.; University of Vermont, Burling, ton, Vt.; and Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, Vt.

Thomas E. Kurtz, Professor of Mathematics and director of Kiewit, and John G. Kemeny, Professor of Mathematics and pioneer in the development of BASIC, a simplified computer language for nonprofessionals, will direct the 21-month project. Eugene A. Fucci, assistant director of Kiewit, is coordinator of the project designed to test the effectiveness of such a regional network at the university level.

Dartmouth was a pioneer in making accessible its computer facilities to all its undergraduates as well as to regional schools. This policy resulted early this year in more than 100 persons using the Kiewit computer simultaneously, believed to be a record in the time-sharing.