It will need wired ethernet in some places. Wireless in others.
It will need the kind of routers than prevent incoming viruses, efforts by students to change their grades, etc.
Outsiders must be limited as to what they can access.
Internet. There is VPN. Virtual private network.
Instructors will want their own private network so their students can read course outlines, find out their test scores, etc.
It may need a central location consisting of junction-related equipment. Not sure what degree of centralization is needed because most of the equipment will be scattered around campus in the form of hubs, switches, routers, dsl modems, cable modems, etc.
A whole lot of stuff will need to backed up. Including:
* Essential software and drivers for running the network
* The university website
* List of authorized users and passwords
* People will expect you to back up their stuff even though such things are not specifically your responsibility, nevertheless they came about because your network made them possible, and therefore people have come to depend on your network, and you'll be blamed if their things are lost, since they never got around to making backups.