Hollins University has been honored as one of the “Top 20 Wired Colleges” in the nation for 2008 by PC Magazine and The Princeton Review.

The list – in which Hollins holds the number eight spot – is featured on the PC Magazine website (www.go.pcmag.com/wiredcolleges) and will appear in the publication’s October issue, which hits newsstands September 16.

“Hollins is dedicated to empowering undergraduate women to make a difference in the world, and we are delighted to receive national recognition for our technology enhancements, which are intended to help give students the advantages they require to succeed in the 21^st century,” says Hollins President Nancy Gray.

The “Top 20 Wired Colleges” honors schools with the most comprehensive technology offerings. The Princeton Review asked tech-specific questions as part of a survey conducted earlier this year for its annual publication, The Best 368 Colleges, 2009 Edition. The survey focused on academics, student resources, infrastructure, wireless networks, and tech support.

            Hollins’ technology initiatives include:

• My.Hollins, a web portal for students, faculty, staff, parents and alumnae offering a central online access point for campus news and information.
• Wireless capabilities throughout the entire campus.
• A centrally-managed computer help desk.
• A fully-functioning television studio run by students for students and broadcasting to various kiosks across campus and in residence halls.
• Multimedia capabilities in 95 percent of classrooms.
• A new Smart Card keyless entry system providing enhanced security for residence halls and other campus facilities, as well as an emergency text messaging system campus-wide.
• Video conferencing offerings.
• Instituting online bill paying in the coming months for students and parents.

            PC Magazine’s complete rankings are as follows:

1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill
2. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan.
3. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Bentley College, Waltham, Mass.
5. Pomona College, Claremont, Calif.
6. Boston College, Boston, Mass.
7. Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla.
8. Hollins University, Roanoke, Va.
9. Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
10. University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
11. The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
12. Loyola College, Baltimore, Md.
13. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Mass.
14. Rice University, Houston, Texas
15. Villanova University, Villanova, Pa.
16. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
17. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.
18. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
19. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine
20. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.