UMBC’s earliest access to mainframe computing was through telephone connections to a Univac computer at University of Maryland, College Park. In 1981, UMBC Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Walter Jones was presented with an opportunity to acquire a Control Data mainframe computer system called “Cyber.” UMBC did not have the $3 million price of the system, and Jones did not expect the state government to pay for the system without incentive to do so. He arranged to rent the computer to diverse clients including the Baltimore City Public Schools to help gain the funds for the computer. By 1985, a new VAX computer was acquired to replace the Cyber. As computers became central to the campus for many purposes, a computer center was established on the third floor of the Social Sciences Building, and this document was produced to publicize the available computing services. University Publications, documents, 8.5 x 11.
UMBC’s Computer Center: Facts in Brief, UPUB C6-004.
