Headlines

• Mentoring Program receives grant from Bank of America
• A-B Tech Students Capture Top Spot in State IT Skills Competition
• Fisher recognized as EFNEP Champion
• ASPIRE program called state's "Best Practice"
• Children's Holiday Party brings smiles to campus
• Mechanical Engineering receives cutting-edge equipment to train students
• Randolph receives Faculty Access Award
• GIS Day debuts at new location
• Meet Foundation Scholarship Recipients
• Smith-McDowell to host youth contra dance party
• Nominations sought for A-B Tech Teacher/Adjunct Teacher of the Year
• Tech Notes

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Mentoring Program receives grant from Bank of America

Sabrina Miller, N.C. Market President, West Region & Consumer Market Executive - Mountain Market, Bank of America; Dr. Joseph Fox, Business Administration chair, and Nancy Miller, Foundation Board chair, with a check for $10,000 for the Minority Male Mentoring project from the Bank of America.

A-B Tech's Minority Male Mentoring program received a $10,000 grant from Bank of America through the College's Foundation to fund additional support for students.

The Ribbon of Hope project builds on the findings from a Minority Male Mentoring project funded by the North Carolina Community College System Office in 2008. Dr. Joseph Fox, Business Administration chair, and Paul Knott, BioNetwork BioBusiness Center manager, developed the project and found minorities attending college often require support to fulfill their potential in curriculum programs.

"We will be able to use the funds to pay a student worker for a computer lab for the Minority Male Mentoring program and we will be able to provide paper and toner for printing," Fox said. "Students may not have access to the Internet and we want to provide that and tutoring by Phi Theta Kappa members."

Funds will also be used to expose the students to community events, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. annual breakfast. Professional development and career development activities are also planned.

"We were so happy to be able to give the grant to this wonderful project here at A-B Tech," said Sabrina Miller, N.C. Market President, West Region & Consumer Market Executive - Mountain Market, Bank of America. Miller also sits on the College's Foundation Board.

A-B Tech Foundation

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A-B Tech Students Capture Top Spot in State IT Skills Competition

Two A-B Tech students earned first place in the North Carolina state final of the 2009 NetRiders Skills Challenge conducted by Cisco Networking Academy. Brandon Hunnicutt and Matt Blakely beat 42 teams over two rounds of state competition to move on to the North American Theater Finals, where they placed 25th.

The 2009 NetRiders Skills Challenge is open to post-secondary students enrolled in the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) curriculum within the past six months across the United States and Canada. The competition spans a six-week period between Oct. 12 and Nov. 20. Teams of students have the opportunity to advance through three contest levels and compete for the grand prize awarded to the top two teams across the United States and Canada -- an all-expense paid trip to Cisco's corporate office in San Jose, CA, during January.

NetRiders leverages Cisco's Web 2.0 technologies to create an interactive experience, enhance classroom learning, and motivate young people to further pursue technology education and training. Students test their networking/IT skills through a series of online exams and simulation activities.

In addition to the first-place team, A-B Tech teams beat out competition from other colleges and universities in North Carolina to capture the second-, third-, and sixth-place spots in the final state qualifier.

"These teams demonstrate the determination and dedication all of our students have to achieving success and creating opportunity," said Lewis Lightner, Chair of Networking Technology at A-B Tech. "When they choose to major in one of our programs, we make it very clear that we have high expectations of our students. The success of Brandon and Matt, as well as the other competitors, exemplifies how our students live up to this high standard. We are very proud of their accomplishments."

The Cisco Networking Academy at A-B Tech started in 2001 as part of a comprehensive two-year degree program. The Academy at A-B Tech not only provides Networking/IT education for students but also serves as a Regional Academy where instructors from other academies receive training. To date, more than 400 students and instructors have received training at A-B Tech.

Cisco Networking Academy Program

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