Hardware and Software Disposal

Ownership of an EN Program computer system or Server is determined by the source of funds used at the time of the purchase. The EN computer is owned by Penn State through the EN budget until all financial obligations are met for the computer (final annual payment, purchase, or early buyout). At that time, ownership transfers to the source of funds.

If the computer was purchased through PSU funds, it needs to be processed through Penn State's Lion Surplus and the net funds received from the sale after their fee will flow to the Penn State unit that funded the purchase. The University form (Report of Disposition or Permanent Transfer of Tangible Assets) and guidelines are at the PSU/GURU Form Locator.

If the computer was purchased through county funds, it is owned by the county and can be disposed of in accordance with the county's policies and guidelines. It is Tom Schaffer's understanding (Director of Finance and Business Operations in the College of Ag Sciences) that if a county wishes to dispose of a computer that is owned by the county through Lion Surplus, they can do so due to the relationship between the county extension office and Penn State. However, the funds would return to a Penn State budget and would not be refundable on a county by county basis.

The amount of funds that are returned to an individual unit at Penn State when items are sold through Lion Surplus is just a fraction of the actual selling price. The unit that receives the funds would be based on the budget/fund number that is on the disposition form when the computer is processed through Lion Surplus. The transfer of funds is done as a lump sum of all items sold under a budget/fund and it is typically done annually. Lion Surplus does not have a set fee for any item and the amount returned ranges from 5% to 50% of the sale price with computers being normally closer to the 5%.

Any individual may purchase an EN computer system processed through Lion Surplus and the computer would probably not need to be physically transferred to their warehouse. Lion Surplus establishes the purchase price and arrangements can be made with them by contacting Annette Bottorf at 814-865-4371, alb37@psu.edu.

The software licenses are provided by Penn State to conduct Penn State business. When the computer no longer is used for Penn State business it is your obligation to ensure that all licensed software is completely removed from the computer including the Microsoft Office, Claris FileMaker, etc. Please contact AgIT Support via the online Help Request Form for instructions on this process. Staff who purchase outgoing computers for personal use must obtain the Microsoft Office Pro Work-at-Home media. It is available through the University's Campus Agreement for purchase at Penn State's Computer Store online or in person at their Show Room located at 104 HUB-Robeson Building on the University Park Campus.