To the Editor:

I am a strong supporter of the technology fee as a vehicle that will let us

vastly improve our services to students. Through the fee we’ll be able to

provide students free resume software and a Web-based interview sign-up

system that will make our services more accessible to all. Our program will

stay at the forefront. Without the fee, it will diminish because it will

quickly become out-of-date. Web-based systems will soon be the norm.

As one who talks to hundreds of employers every year, I am greatly

concerned the technical abilities of UTK students are lagging behind those

at other schools. Our students compete for jobs with students from schools

like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, Indiana

and Florida.

If we have outdated labs, limited software and poor access to computing,

employers will drop us from the big leagues of recruiting. This pertains

not just to engineers and computer science grads, but across the board for

virtually all majors.

In your own best interest, please support the technology fee!