Kickoff Symposium for HEWAC: Wireless computing environments have come into being, fostered by new and emerging technologies and an industry that wants to grow. The most recent growth spurt has been a result of the adoption of Wi-Fi. This method of accessing information is destined to become a way of life in the near future.

While nearly two-thirds of the colleges and universities in the U.S. indicate they are either underway with or have a strategic plan to implement a wireless computing network, only 10% have installed one. Clearly, college campuses can become the true “hot spots” of wireless computing. What is lacking is a catalyst to bring this about. Wireless networks would not replace wired networks on campus, they would add to them.

The Higher Education Wireless Access Consortium (HEWAC) has been formed to coalesce the disparate energies in wireless computing on behalf of higher education. It will champion and share best practices, bridge gaps of knowledge, bring communities of interest together, provide a common ground for resolving issues, provide a unified voice to regulatory concerns, lessen the burden of risk and innovation and share the reward of working together.

Wireless Technology: Strategies for Creating Institutional Value