DC Students to Offer Computer Repair Services

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College announced today the start of an innovative service in which DC computer students will be offering computer repair and related services to the local community.  This service, to be known as Defiance College Personal Computer Solutions, is one of the initial projects of Defiance College’s Project 701, a pioneering student-run non-profit organization in which students create, direct, manage, and operate their own service projects.

“We are now the only college in the country with this kind of a student-run non-profit,” said DC President Mark C. Gordon.  “Project 701 enables our students to move from the types of service projects that they engaged in while in high school, and actually get hands-on training and experience running and operating a real non-profit organization.”

DC PC Solutions will provide a range of computer services to the community at little to no cost.  While clients will need to pay the actual cost of any parts, during its initial phase of operation the labor will be provided free.  DC PC Solutions will, however, invite clients to make a free-will donation to Project 701 to enable it to increase the services it provides to the community.

Among the services offered by DC PC Solutions are malicious software and virus removal; hardware upgrade services and repairs; limited data recovery; secure data wiping and backup services; and operating system optimization. Services are able to be performed on computers with the Windows operating system 95 or newer. 

These services will be provided by students who are Digital Forensic Science majors at DC.  They work and study under the guidance of professor of digital forensic science, Dr. Gregg Gunsch.  “While repairing computers is not the end goal of students within this major, it is something that they will inevitably participate in as part of their future careers,” stated Prof. Gunsch.  “DC PC Solutions provides an innovative way for students to further their troubleshooting knowledge and work with their peers to derive solutions to difficult problems.  It provides a real win-win, giving DC students wonderful hands-on training that can enable them to stand out in the marketplace while also providing a service to the broader community.”

“This is precisely the kind of hands-on experience and training that will enable DC Digital Forensics students to stand out from the pack when competing for jobs in the marketplace.  This takes what is already a leading digital forensics program and makes it even better,” said Damon Hacker, President and CEO of Vestige, Ltd. and a member of the digital forensic advisory board.

Community members who want to make an appointment to take advantage of the services offered by DC PC Solutions can call 419-783-2596 or email dcpc@defiance.edu.  Consultations are by appointment only.

Project 701 is a separate legal entity, incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio, run by a Board of Directors comprised of DC students, faculty, administrators, and alumni.  It is administered as part of Defiance College’s McMaster School for Advancing Humanity, which has already pioneered several other innovative approaches to service learning.  According to Ashton Judis, Treasurer of Project 701 and coordinator of DC’s Service Leader Program, “Project 701 carries the wonderful history of the McMaster School to a new level, giving students entrepreneurial training and experience that will enable them to even more effectively use the skills and knowledge they learn in the classroom.”

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.

February 15, 2011