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| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: May 12, 2000 |
Stanly Community College Developing Nationwide On-line Information Technology Program for CISCO Systems, Inc.
Stanly Community College is located in a very rural county, with few four-lane roads nearby. But this small college is now a major stop on the Electronic Highway – thanks to a partnership with information technology giant CISCO Systems, Inc.
After months of competition among colleges and universities throughout the United States, Stanly Community College (Stanly CC) in Albemarle, North Carolina, was chosen as the academic partner to provide on-line training for a national workforce development project in the information technology (IT) field. The program is called the Workforce Transition Project (WTP) and is a partnership among CISCO Systems, Inc., the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and Stanly CC.
The selection may have caught some of the competitors by surprise, but for Stanly CC President Mike Taylor, the choice was logical. "The college has invested heavily in information technology training throughout the past decade. The selection is a recognition of the quality of the faculty and the training offered here," said Taylor. The president considers participation in the partnership a major coup for the college, especially since they were selected over many larger, urban colleges.
Recognizing that electronic education is the future, Stanly CC was one of the first colleges in the state to install a fiber optic network campus-wide. Since that initial project, the college made a committed investment in the technology. The college hired new faculty, bought state-of-the-art equipment, built a new technology center and developed new technology curricula. "We have the faculty, facilities and programs to launch this national project and offer quality programs to our local students at the same time," Taylor added.
CISCO evaluated technology training at the hundred of colleges applying for the partnership to determine the selection. "Stanly’s success at providing quality instruction, along with the college’s commitment to excellence and innovation made it the academic provider of choice for this monumental project," explained Scott Nell, Manager of Education Alliance and Partnership at CISCO.
CISCO was already familiar with the quality of the instructors at Stanly CC. Kelly Caudle, an instructor at the college, co-authored a reference guide to CISCO routing. Caudle and another Stanly CC instructor, Bill Frey, have also achieved something many in the industry said could not be done. They created a "virtual rack" that will allow on-line students to do manipulations for certification on their home computers that previously had to be done in a laboratory setting. While this innovation does not eliminate the need for on-site work, it significantly reduces the amount of lab time required, making it more convenient for on-line students.
Jim Hillier, Associate Dean of Technology at Stanly CC, spearheads the WTP. He describes the Workforce Transition Project as a "unique distance learning and job referral program designed to provide on-line information technology training to members of the CWA and United States military personnel world-wide." Hillier says the goal of the WTP is to provide quality skill assessment and evaluation that leads to personalized on-line training certification and ultimately to career placement opportunity in the IT industry.
Hillier and a team of Stanly CC faculty have been working on the project for several months. In addition to creating the curriculum and hardware/software configurations needed on the Stanly CC campus, several Stanly CC faculty traveled to California and Washington, DC to assist CISCO and CWA in establishing labs for on-line students. Stanly CC faculty and staff are also developing procedures for students to enroll and complete the program, which will originate entirely from the Albemarle campus. "If this is successful," Hillier says, "it will be offered to the general public in the future."
The North Carolina Community College System Office is extremely proud of the significant accomplishment Stanly CC has made. System President H. Martin Lancaster said, "Our community colleges continue to explore new ways to teach skills to a constantly evolving workforce. The biggest growth and the most potential for the future is in internet-based course like the ones Stanly is providing where today’s working adults can decide when and where they will learn."
Scott Ralls, Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development for the NCCCS, echoes Lancaster’s pride. "Cisco is at the center of what is often referred to as the 'new economy,' and they are having a tremendous impact on economic development in North Carolina. Their national designation of Stanly Community College is testament to the tremendous foresight by the college to be a leader and innovator in information technology training," says Ralls.
Stanly CC is a regional training academy for universities, community colleges and high schools in the region who send their faculty to be trained in teaching CISCO course. Stanly CC also offers several CISCO certification courses in its curriculum.
The North Carolina Community College System, with 759,000 students, is the third largest system in the United States. The System is the state=s primary agency for delivery of job training, literacy and adult education programs.
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