Computers no longer needed by the University of Houston-Victoria are finding a new life at area schools.

Wayne Beran, left, University of Houston-Victoria vice president for administration and finance, and Randy Faulk, UHV user services administrator, get ready to donate this Dell computer and 13 others to Goliad Independent School District. Anna White, center, the district’s technology director, came to UHV to pick up the donation.

 “This is a way that we can continue the educational process by passing these computers on to other educational institutions that need them,” said Wayne Beran, UHV vice president for administration and finance.

UHV started donating its older computers to area school districts in the late 1990s, and typically gives away about 70 a year. The university has donated nearly 760 computers since the program started, along with other equipment such as printers, projectors and scanners.

The most recent donation occurred at the beginning of March when 14 Dell computers were given to Goliad Independent School District, where Beran serves as president of the school board.

Anna White, technology director for the Goliad school district, said she was glad to receive the computers.

“In the past, we have made good use of the donated computers in labs that needed to be upgraded,” she said. “We plan on giving the computers we just received to our low-income students, particularly those high school seniors who are going to college or vocational school and don’t have the resources to purchase their own. They are always very excited and appreciative.”

Randy Faulk, UHV user services administrator, said the university has a four-year replacement cycle for its computers. Most of the computers that are donated still work but may need some modifications by school district information technology staff before they are used. State regulations require UHV to dispose of its computers by giving them to school districts, holding an auction or donating them to other state agencies.

“The school districts are very happy to receive the equipment,” Faulk said. “Some of them have created new labs, and some of them have made the computers available to low-income families.”

UHV also frequently donates equipment to the Victoria Independent School District, he said. In fact, the university will give a laptop later this month to Michelle Yates, a first-grade teacher at Guadalupe Elementary School. She recently was awarded a grant through the district’s Education Foundation to purchase a document/camera projector to allow her to show handouts to her students on an overhead screen. The laptop will be used in conjunction with the new equipment.

Faulk said he is interested in hearing from area educators who want to receive equipment donations from UHV. Those interested should consult with their school district’s information technology staff before contacting Faulk at faulkr@uhv.edu