News Article

FSW Mathematics Professor Aids in Donating Computers to the University of Zimbabwe

May 15, 2018

MAY 15, 2018 – FORT MYERS, FLA – Florida SouthWestern State College’s (FSW) mathematics department recently donated 30 of its computers to the University of Zimbabwe’s (UZ) mathematics department. The donation was initiated by FSW Mathematics Professor, Dr. Douglas Magomo, who attended and earned his master’s degree from UZ.

“FSW was in the process of upgrading our computers to newer models, and I had just learned that UZ was still using the same computers it had when I attended in the 1990s,” Dr. Magomo said. “I reached out to our School of Pure and Applied Sciences Dean, Dr. Martin McClinton, and the FSW Information Technology (IT) department to ask if the computers could be donated, and they agreed.”

Before the computers could be donated, FSW’s IT team wiped the hard drives of all data and reimaged them so that UZ could install the software they needed.

“FSW’s staff and faculty PCs are replaced every four years, and our student and classroom PCs are replaced every seven years,” said Jason Dudley, FSW chief information officer. “In most cases, we use a recycler if we can’t find a use for the older computers. Thankfully, along with UZ, we have recently been able to find other institutions in need that can use our computers to further their educational programs.”  

“Prior to the computer donations, all of our undergraduate math courses that required the use of computers were being taught in other departments,” said Dr. Gift Muchatibaya, UZ mathematics department coordinator. “This meant that our students had limited access to computers since they had to share the lab with students from other university programs. We are proud to say that we now have our own lab because of FSW’s generosity. We have since installed packages such as Matlab, Mathematica and Maple to the machines, and this has made teaching of most of our courses such as numerical methods, fluid dynamics and mathematical modeling a lot easier for faculty and students.”

“Having a functional lab has also helped in that most of our students can’t afford personal computers or the relevant software packages because of the current economic situation,” Dr. Muchatibaya said. “The impact this donation has had as far as our research and teaching activities in our department is enormous and we, the UZ community, are grateful.”

In addition to coordinating the donations, Dr. Magomo also covered the shipping costs out of his own pocket, and he is currently gathering more computers for a second round of donations.

“In these days of the internet, these machines can be used for many things, but most importantly they enhance education and connect people to the outside world,” Dr. Magomo said. “This is not just a need for UZ, but for the entire country of Zimbabwe.”

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Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW debuted its intercollegiate athletics program in January 2016. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Last Updated: May 15, 2018