First laptop on campus

NMU is a very technology focused school, as every student finds out when they receive their first laptop. The laptop is provided as part of the Teaching, Learning and Communication Initiative (TLC) that started in 2000. It guarantees that all full-time students at NMU are given a laptop with standard programs and access to the campus network (which includes the internet) 24 hours a day. But even before this, technology was an integral part of NMU.

The first University Computer Center opened in 1963 and stored administrative and accounting records on hundreds of keypunch cards, taking up a large amount of space. As the years passed technology advanced and computers became smaller. Computer labs were constructed in many spots around campus before one large computer lab (containing about 300 stations) was created in the Harden Learning Resource Center (LRC).

This laptop belonged to NMU President James Appleberry during the 1980s and is reportedly the first laptop on campus. He was known to carry it all the time, either around campus or during the many trips that he took. He was a firm believer that this was the wave of the future and that one day everyone would have their own portable computer.

Stats about the computer:
CPU – 4.7MHZ
RAM – 640KB
Hard Disk Drive- 20MB
Weight – 10Lbs (excluding battery)
Condition – Still works!

The laptop is currently on display in the board room of the President’s office.