History

We have come far since our beginnings as a listening lab stocked with reel to reel tapes.

Terie Anderson Roubos and her husband Gary Roubos established ALTEC in 1989 to honor Terie's father, Garfield O. Anderson (pictured). The CU Language Laboratory received their donation along with matching funds from the College of Arts and Sciences. A renovation committee formed, which included the Vice Chancellor, the Language Lab Director (Marie Sheppard), representatives from the Language departments, and technical consultants. The committee brought forth a master plan to renovate and upgrade the lab, which opened in 1990 as the Anderson Language Technology Center. The purpose was to provide an interactive, high-tech approach to learning world languages and, in the words of Marie Sheppard, "transform the Labs from the sleepy, 60's-style facility they were to a showplace that ranks with finest foreign language technical facilities anywhere."

ALTEC's original mission was to "support the study of foreign languages and cultures on the UCB campus" through language resources and state-of-the-art facilities. ALTEC assumed control of the University's Language Lab, which was located in Hellems. Room 159, called The HIVE (Hub for Innovation and Vibrant Expression), was initially an interactive videolab where students practiced world languages on computers. The HIVE has relocated to CASE E380 while Hellems undergoes renovations.