A Q&A with David Castle '87 on his support of the Linux server room
Meet David Castle ’87, a former Skidmore trustee, current member of President’s Leadership Council, and generous donor to the Linux server room in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences (BTCIS). After studying political science and computer science at Skidmore, David began exploring different ways he could stay engaged with the Skidmore community as an alumnus. Learn more about David’s commitment to making a difference in the lives of students following a similar career path.
Why do you support the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences at Skidmore?
Our family has supported science at Skidmore back to the 1990s campaign to renovate and extend Dana Science Center, and we immediately understood the value of consolidating the broader science programs that Skidmore has been offering into a unified, updated space. We also appreciate that attracting the breadth and caliber of students that Skidmore wants requires facilities worthy of those students.
Why did you select the Linux SERVER ROOM for your naming opportunity?
I considered a few different ideas, but the Linux server room ultimately won out because of the tremendous experience I had pursuing my minor in computer science. The mid-80s were a transformative period for computer science at Skidmore, and I was there to experience its formation firsthand. I was fortunate to study with a number of amazing, committed professors. Over the summer of 1985, I even worked as an intern and provided a student’s perspective on the improvement of a fledgling microcomputer applications class on IBM and DEC Rainbow PCs. Things that I learned and did then have made a huge difference in the work that I do today.
The Linux Server Room located in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences powers the incredible work being done in the Linux Computer Lab.
What have you learned about the sciences at Skidmore that you think everyone should know?
Science majors now constitute about a third of Skidmore’s student body, a substantial increase from when I was an undergraduate, and so this is definitely an appropriate and necessary expansion of facilities for these disciplines.
Castle's generous gift to the Linux server room powers the incredible work being done in Skidmore's Linux Computer Lab, located in the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences. In the Linux server room, computer science majors can work with the Linux Administrator and learn about server hardware, networks, and more technical aspects of Linux and computer structures. The servers have been supporting the 21 Linux workstations along with an instructor’s terminal in the Linux Lab since it's opening in 2020. All workstations are connected to the Linux servers and to the campus network.
Faculty and students at work in the BTCIS’s Linux Lab.
