About the Program
The School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) Computer Replacement Cycle (CRC) provides a planned, consistent way to replace the primary computers used by eligible faculty and staff. Its goals are to keep supported equipment current, make purchasing and deployment more predictable, use school funds equitably, and maintain an accurate inventory of university-owned devices.
SAS IT administers the program in consultation with school leadership. SAS IT determines eligibility, sets replacement schedules, maintains inventory, coordinates purchases and deployment, and determines whether returned equipment can be reused or should be retired.
The CRC covers one designated primary computer and one designated primary monitor for each eligible faculty member or staff position. Computer replacements are planned on a five-year cycle; primary monitors are planned on a ten-year cycle. These are planning intervals, not promises of replacement on a particular date.
The program will roll out in phases, beginning with administrative staff. Faculty replacements will follow once the inventory, deployment, and migration processes are operating effectively. SAS IT schedules work according to eligibility, equipment age, available inventory and funding, and operational capacity. Being eligible does not mean a replacement is immediately due.
How the Cycle Works
For faculty, the primary computer is assigned to the individual. An eligible new faculty member typically receives a primary computer on arrival; the cycle begins when it is placed in service. Continuing faculty are assigned a planned replacement year based on the age and status of their designated primary computer.
For staff, the computer is assigned to the position. An incoming employee will ordinarily use the computer already assigned to that position, and a change in personnel does not restart its cycle. SAS does not purchase computers for vacant positions; equipment is selected when a position is filled.
When a computer is due for replacement, SAS IT works with the participant to select a supported configuration that meets job requirements. Standard options are Windows/Linux desktop, Windows/Linux laptop, Apple desktop, and Apple laptop. Current models and specifications are listed on the SAS IT CRC web page. Models may change with purchasing cycles, institutional standards, pricing, or availability.
A standard desktop deployment includes the computer and, when due, the primary monitor, keyboard, mouse, and webcam as applicable. A laptop deployment includes the laptop, an eligible external monitor, keyboard and mouse, and a carrying case. The standard laptop monitor has an integrated USB-C hub that can serve as the office docking connection. Peripherals may also be replaced as needed, but they do not themselves trigger a computer replacement.
Before a replacement is issued, SAS IT confirms the equipment assignment and inventory record. The existing designated primary computer (including one bought with a CRC subsidy) must be returned when its replacement is deployed. SAS IT may reuse a returned computer for an approved purpose or retire it through the university surplus process. All program equipment remains Rutgers University property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible?
Eligibility generally requires all of the following:
- The primary computer is in SAS-controlled office space.
- The current computer is supported and inventoried by SAS IT.
- The individual’s appointment and current effort are primarily within SAS.
- The device is the designated primary computer.
- The device’s principal use is SAS-funded work rather than externally funded research or work for another unit.
Full-time administrative staff, tenured and tenure-track faculty, and eligible non-tenure-track faculty are generally covered when they meet these conditions. SAS IT may also approve other positions in consultation with school leadership based on appointment, funding, workspace, and support arrangements.
Positions funded largely or entirely by gifts, endowments, grants, or other external sources are generally outside the cycle. The same is true of:
- Research staff and laboratory roles ordinarily funded through other purchasing mechanisms.
- Temporary or visiting appointments.
- Lecturers and NTT lecturers.
- Students, including teaching and research assistants.
- People whose principal office, work, or IT support is outside SAS.
- Vacant positions.
A listed category does not override the eligibility conditions above.
How do I request that my computer be replaced under the CRC?
SAS IT staff will notify each faculty and staff member when their system is scheduled for replacement. A tentative schedule for system replacements in each department will be shared with departmental leadership. Requests for out-of-cycle replacements because of system failure or other issues should be submitted through the ticket system.
Where can I find the most updated information about the CRC?
Update information and documentation can be found on the CRC Program Web Page.
What if my appointment, funding, workspace, or IT support is split between units?
SAS IT reviews split appointments, space in multiple units, support by another IT organization, unusual funding, and other nonstandard affiliations individually. The review considers:
- Where the primary computer is located.
- Who supports the computer.
- Which work the computer primarily serves.
How does an administrative appointment affect a faculty member’s eligibility?
A faculty member serving as a chair, director, or in another administrative role remains eligible through the primary faculty appointment if that appointment meets the program’s requirements. The title does not change how the primary computer is designated or scheduled for replacement.
Can a participant keep or move a designated device?
Each eligible person or position has one primary computer and one primary monitor recorded in SAS IT’s inventory.
- Participants must return their old computer when receiving a new cycle computer.
- Stationary equipment must remain in its approved SAS space unless a request to move the system is submitted to SAS IT.
- Equipment may not be reassigned to another person, office, laboratory, center, institute, or organizational unit without SAS IT approval.
- If equipment is no longer needed for its assigned purpose, the department must notify SAS IT so it can determine whether to reassign, retain, or surplus it.
When is equipment replaced?
Program computers follow a five-year cycle whether they are Windows/Linux or Mac, desktops or laptops. The designated primary monitor follows a ten-year cycle and is replaced when due. SAS IT may adjust deployment timing for funding, staffing, migration, supply, or other operational requirements.
What if my computer fails before its scheduled replacement?
SAS IT may repair the computer or provide a comparable serviceable device from inventory. If a comparable machine from the same cycle is unavailable, SAS IT will provide an in-kind replacement and adjust the replacement schedule as appropriate.
Can I choose a different operating system or computer platform?
A staff computer must support the applications needed for the position. A Mac will not be approved for a staff position if required applications are not supported on macOS. Staff who currently use Windows cannot switch to a Mac solely based on preference; they must discuss a proposed change with their supervisor and SAS IT must confirm that the system will allow meet the positions job requirements.
Faculty can choose any system from the cycle list.
What is included with a standard workstation?
A standard desktop deployment will include:
- The computer.
- An eligible monitor.
- Keyboard and mouse.
- Webcam, where applicable.
A standard laptop deployment will include:
- The laptop.
- An eligible external monitor with a USB-C hub that may serve as the laptop’s office docking connection.
- Keyboard and mouse.
- An appropriate carrying case provided as part of the deployment package.
How are monitors selected and upgraded?
- The standard cycle will provide two different models of 24” monitor; selection will be based on the type of system being purchased.
- Desktop systems will receive a standard 24” monitor, while laptop systems will receive an equivalent monitor with an integrated USB-C hub to function as a docking station.
- Users who purchase a laptop and do not have a monitor with a USB-C hub are eligible to receive one as part of the program; their current monitor will be returned to SAS IT inventory.
- For those receiving a new monitor, the cycle will offer the option of a 27” monitor from the cycle list if the individual or department covers the difference in price.
- The program will not replace a serviceable monitor early because an individual would prefer a newer or larger display.
- The program does not provide a subsidy for the purchase of a non-cycle monitor.
What if a standard computer does not meet the user’s needs?
- Individuals whose needs are not met by a standard configuration may request a non-standard computer that is eligible for a subsidy that is equivalent to the price of the lowest cost system provided by the CRC.
- The department or another approved funding source is responsible for all costs above the subsidy.
- Users cannot use personal funds in combination with the CRC subsidy.
- Non-standard computers remain subject to SAS IT supportability, security, inventory, management, purchasing, and software-compatibility requirements.
- The computer purchased with the subsidy will be the user’s primary computer and will be tracked and replaced as part of the CRC.
- The subsidy applies to the computer purchase, not to a separately selected monitor. No subsidy will be offered for non cycle monitor purchases.
- The department will process the Marketplace requisition. The requisition will be split between the department’s UDO and the SAS IT UDO so that the program contribution and departmental contribution are charged appropriately.
- The subsidy is not a cash payment to the individual and does not authorize personal purchasing or reimbursement.
What happens if equipment is purchased outside the program?
An independently purchased computer will not be reimbursed retroactively when the person or position later becomes eligible for a program replacement.
How will equipment be provided for positions not covered by the CRC?
Departments should budget for all computers that are not covered by the cycle.
Will SAS IT continue to support systems that aren’t purchased through the CRC?
Regardless of whether a supported university computer was purchased through this program or another approved funding source, SAS IT will continue to provide its normal support services.
What must be returned when a replacement is issued?
- When a replacement computer is issued, the existing designated primary computer must be returned to SAS IT.
- The returned device must be the computer currently being used as the primary system. An older computer may not be substituted. This includes computers that were purchased with a subsidy.
- A participant may not retain the replaced computer as an additional office, laboratory, or personal system.
- SAS IT will determine the disposition of returned equipment. A computer with remaining useful life may be redeployed for an approved limited purpose. Older, unsupported, or otherwise unsuitable equipment will be retired through the university surplus process.
How are inventory and equipment tagging handled?
SAS IT will maintain a record of eligible people, positions, computers, monitors, purchase dates, warranty dates, and planned replacement dates.
Each eligible individual or position must have one primary computer, and one primary monitor identified in the inventory system and tagged for the replacement cycle.
When multiple monitors are present, SAS IT will identify the one primary monitor covered by the cycle, ordinarily considering age, condition, and quality.
SAS IT must be notified when:
- Equipment is no longer needed.
- Equipment is damaged, lost, or replaced.
- A primary computer or monitor assignment needs to be changed.
How are exceptions requested?
Exceptions may be approved when necessary to accommodate specialized academic, administrative, accessibility, technical, security, or operational requirements.
Requests must be submitted through the standard SAS IT ticket system after which they will be reviewed with the appropriate academic leadership.
Prior exceptions do not automatically establish a precedent for future purchases.