Forty students from Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) visited Capitol College on Tuesday (February 25th), receiving a first-hand look at the college’s innovative programs, including the Cyber Lab.
Accompanying the students was Dr. Yun Liu, an associate professor at BCCC who heads up Advanced Technological Education (ATE) initiatives at the school. The ATE, established as a result of a Congressional mandate in 1992, is a National Science Foundation program intended to improve the availability and quality of STEM education across the country.
The visit was an eye-opener, according to Liu. At the Cyber Lab, “you can see students engaged in monitoring cybersecurity threats from all over the world. For our students, it was amazing. They learned something new today.”
One of the ATE program’s goals is to encourage more community college students to continue their technology education at a four-year college or university. Capitol is partnering with BCCC to help open the way.
Under an articulation agreement between BCCC’s Robotics Technology program and the electrical engineering department at Capitol, students can apply up to 70 credits from BCCC towards a bachelor’s degree.
Choosing to transfer to Capitol can provide a unique edge in the job market, according to Capitol College admissions director George H. Walls. The reason: Capitol stresses hands-on training that equips students with the practical know-how employers are looking for.
Moreover, Walls said, Capitol has longstanding ties with NASA – located only a few miles away from the college campus.
In addition to NASA, Capitol graduates regularly go on to careers in other government agencies as well as contractors such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell. So strong is the demand, Walls said, that many students find themselves receiving lucrative job offers before they have even completed their degree.
Employers seek out Capitol’s students because they know the college produces highly qualified graduates with the right skill sets and experience, he said.
BCCC’s Liu is enthusiastic about his institution’s partnership with Capitol and the benefits to students.
“Capitol can definitely provide them the opportunity for employment,” Liu said, saying the college’s proximity to NASA has particular appeal. “If our students are interested in astronautical or electrical engineering, they can find a job nearby very easily.”