ETC computer drafting program earns national certification

Prisoners lose Brescia courses

A joint venture (Editorial)

News-Enterprise
August 21, 2003

ETC computer drafting program earns national certification

A newly certified program at Elizabethtown Technical College bodes well for its graduates seeking employment.

ETC became Kentucky's first public institution to receive national certification by the American Design Drafting Association for its computer-aided drafting, or CAD, program. Two other private schools in Kentucky hold the same certification.

Students and instructors say they believe the certification will vault the program's credibility with industry leaders across the country.

"Anybody who completes this program and wants to work will get work," said Terry Wise, CAD's associate professor. "This will help them get a job in Hardin County or Texas."

Former CAD student Steve Stewart said the endorsement will help him when he looks for a full-time job. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in education at Western Kentucky University.

"It gives credibility to the things we were taught," Stewart said. "It can open doors."

Students can also get certified individually with the association by passing a two-hour test.

"It looks really good if you come from a certified program and get certified by taking that test," Wise said.

ETC's drafting program began in 1974, when students used drafting boards instead of computers. In 1986, the program received its first computer, which cost more than $12,000, Wise said.

By 1998, the computer-aided drafting classroom had 32 computers armed with AutoCAD software, a program costing several thousand dollars. Students entering the program still begin on drafting boards, Wise said.

"The software is complex and really involved, so they need to learn the basics first," he said.

Students must complete 16 CAD classes in four semesters, in addition to other math and computer science classes, to receive their associate's degree in general occupational technical studies with a CAD concentration.

After graduation, most students average $14 an hour in entry-level positions.

The design drafting association certifies organizations that have had the CAD curriculum for more than two years and has faculty members who are active in the industry.

Wise said the certification was a natural progression.

"If we can find another certification, we'll go for that, too," Wise said.

Mary Jo King, ETC spokeswoman, said the more certifications a program can get, the better for the school and the students.

"The more tools we can give our students, the better they will be when they enter the work force," she said. "It's giving them an edge when they do apply for a job."

The program will continue to improve and strive to teach students the latest in CAD, Wise said. Next year's AutoCAD 2004 software will give students the opportunity to work with holographic images.

"That's ‘Star Trek' stuff to me," Wise said.

Messenger-Inquirer
August 20, 2003

Prisoners lose Brescia courses

A decision last spring by the Kentucky Department of Corrections has forced Brescia University to abandon about 30 student inmates at the Green River Correctional Complex in Central City.

Instead, associate degree and technical courses will be offered by the nearby Central City branch of Madisonville Community College as part of a statewide effort to save money and streamline services at all of the state's prisons, prison officials said.

Where feasible, Kentucky Community and Technical College System schools will offer courses at all 12 of Kentucky prisons this fall, said Lisa Lamb, director of communications for the Department of Corrections.

"The inmates won't lose services," Lamb said. "It was a cost-saving measure."

Prisons contract with colleges for the courses and pay for those contracts through their canteen programs -- money paid by inmates for items such as snacks, cigarettes, stamps and toiletries -- plus inmates pay $20 per course and pay for their own books, Lamb said. Prisons expect to pay less out of the canteen funds for college courses through KCTCS schools, she said.

And credits from KCTCS schools will transfer more easily than courses at private colleges, said David Higgs, fiscal manager of the complex.

"In an effort to make things more uniform, the system has chosen to go with the KCTCS (schools)," Higgs said. "KCTCS provides courses at all Kentucky prisons. If by some chance they are unable to fulfill requirements or (enrollment) continues to expand, there may possibly be a chance for Brescia to come back in."

Since 1999, Brescia has offered one and often two night courses per semester that could apply toward associate degrees in liberal arts or human relations, said Greg Alvey, director of Brescia's Weekend College program. Starting from scratch, an inmate could have earned an associate degree in about six years, he said.

"I'm very disappointed about it," Brescia President Sister Vivian Bowles said Tuesday, the day before classes begin for the 2003-04 school year. "I can understand it from an economic perspective, but we had reduced our tuition to accommodate the state. We've had such excellent feedback on the quality of our programs and professors. We liked having that program because it fits into our mission statement of community service. And it's a disappointment to the prisoners themselves."

Alvey declined to say how much Brescia earned through the contract with the prison.

"There's been no dissatisfaction with our services," Alvey said. "If we can fulfill a need that (Madisonville) can't, they certainly want us to come back and teach."

The prison has about 962 inmates. About 30 inmates have been enrolled in Brescia courses provided by visiting faculty members, including a handful who were very close to earning an associate degree, Alvey said.

So far, inmates at Green River are responding well to the change, Lamb said.

"They had 22 sign up for English 101 this fall," Lamb said. "That class is full."

In the past, both Brescia and Madisonville Community College have offered courses at the same time, but many of the community college's courses were canceled because of poor enrollment, Alvey said.

"They all wanted to sign up for our courses," Alvey said.

Daily Independent
August 19, 2003

A joint venture
OU Southern and ACTC working together on broadcasting course
(Editorial)

An 11-week Introduction to Video Production that will be offered at Ashland Community and Technical College this fall has significance that goes beyond the broadcasting field. The for-credit course is being offered in cooperation with Ohio University Southern in Ironton.

Students who enroll in the class, which begins Sept. 12, will do the classroom work in Ashland, but the studio work will be done at the $1.7 million electronic media center on OUS's campus in Ironton.

Don Moore, director of electronic media at OUS, will teach the course. As a graduate of Ashland Community College and the University of Kentucky, he has close ties with ACTC. Those who successfully complete the class will receive credit from OUS, which is transferable to ACTC and other colleges.

ACTC is not trying to develop its own broadcasting program. Instead, the introductory course will give ACTC students a taste of broadcasting. Those who want to go further in the field can transfer either to OUS, which has a quality two-year program, or some other school offering broadcasting programs.

The course also may generate some quality local programs for the public access channel offered on the Adelphia cable system. Currently, there are few Ashland-based programs on the channel. We'd like to see more.

The course is an excellent way for schools from two states to meet a need by working together. Let us hope it opens the door for more cooperative programs.