Computer Refresh Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Computer Refresh Program is funded by UTC's Executive Team as a program of the IT Advisory Council. It is an institution-wide program designed to serve all regular, full-time faculty and staff.

You must be a regular, full-time employee with a device that is five years old or older. The program does not include grant-funded positions, temporary workers, graduate students or student workers. In addition, certain employees and departments are not eligible because they are not centrally funded.

To check if you are eligible, see our Computer Refresh Program Eligibility page, which includes a self-service application for looking up information about your computer refresh device.

The focus of the Computer Refresh Program is to replace the 'primary' device used by faculty and staff. A primary device is the main computer faculty and staff use to do their daily work.

When you contact the Computer Refresh Program Team through submitting a service request or emailing refresh@utc.edu, we will consult with you to determine the best configuration for your needs.

The University contributes up to $1,400 toward a refreshed device and certain accessories. Departments are responsible for any overages.

Based on the timeline for this year’s Computer Refresh Program, our goal is to begin the department-by-department deployment of computing devices starting in May each year.

Once we deliver your new device, we will collect your old device.

The reason for collecting your old device is to remove it from our supported fleet and to ensure that faculty and staff have the latest and most secure technology we can support.

Please note that a Refresh device is considered tied to a full-time eligible position. If a position is eliminated or in any way transitioned to part-time, grant-funded, or student work (teaching assistant, graduate assistant, etc.), the computer will not be considered for Refresh in the future.

Please return your device to your former Department Head or Administrative Assistant. That device may then be reassigned to another employee within the department as needed.

When a new position is created, your department should either purchase a computer directly or submit a ticket to Central IT to request a quote. Once the first device for that position has been ordered and assigned, it will qualify for future refresh cycles if the role is filled by a full-time eligible employee. Central IT will make note of this when you submit the request to set up the new device.

Please submit a ticket to UTC IT before reallocating any computer(s) within your department. This helps ensure our inventory records remain accurate and allows us to review each request on a case-by-case basis. Different device types may require different configurations or security standards depending on how they will be used, such as whether a computer is assigned to a single faculty or staff member or repurposed as a shared student-use device.

Example: “We would like to reassign Faculty X’s primary computer to become a shared student-use device.”

Submitting a ticket also helps us properly track Refresh-funded equipment, since refresh funding and allocations are limited and tied to specific eligibility requirements. Keeping our records up to date will also help minimize delays if any issues arise with the device.

Submit a request or email refresh@utc.edu.

All members of the Computer Refresh Program Team will receive your email. Someone will follow-up with you as quickly as possible to help with your questions.