Bradley University with participation and support from major educational institutions and industry, and a strong working partnership with CICNet, the state of Illinois Central Management Services (CMS), and with considerable networking experience within its member shop, has developed a communications network known as netIllinois. This network in cooperation with sixteen (16) Illinois colleges and universities (Aurora University, College of Saint Francis, Illinois Central College, Knox College, Lewis University, Monmouth College, Moraine Valley Community College, National-Louis University, North Central College, Rockford College, Roosevelt University, Rosary College, Saint Xavier College, Southern Illinois University Medical School Library, University of Health Sciences/ The Chicago Medical School, and William Rainey Harper College) requests support to connect these institutions to netIllinois. The requested connections will support connectivity to netIllinois,m CICNET, NSFNET, and the greater Internet. It will also provide access to state, regional, and national computing resources and databases; and foster communication and collaboration among teachers, students, scholars, and researchers at these institutions and their peers within the worldwide education and research community. The network will provide a consistent statewide architecture for NSFNET access for a broad variety of entities engaged in education and research. This cooperative network will provide gateways to regional, national, and international networks and will be consistent with their standards. It will further the institutions' work in enhancing the state's economic development through a well-educated workforce, accessible training opportunities, and research and development partnerships. Another goal of the network is to facilitate collaborative projects and sharing of resources between institutions, including those outside the state.
