Contact: Sharon Fisher
November 30, 2007

MECC Computer Networking Program Selected as Cisco Winner

Professor Fred Coeburn recently found out that his Computer Networking program at Mountain Empire Community College was selected as a winner in Cisco’s Networking Academy Global Recognition Award Program.  MECC is one of approximately 60 colleges, universities, high schools, technical schools, and community-based organizations in the United States to win this prestigious award.  The college has the honor and distinction of having partnered with Cisco for the past 10 years.

Professor Fred Coeburn recently found out that his Computer Networking program at Mountain Empire Community College was selected as a winner in Cisco’s Networking Academy Global Recognition Award Program.  MECC is one of approximately 60 colleges, universities, high schools, technical schools, and community-based organizations in the United States to win this prestigious award.  The college has the honor and distinction of having partnered with Cisco for the past 10 years.

“We were one of the first institutions on the east coast to join Cisco’s program,” says Coeburn.  “We’ve taught 460 students or so since then.”

The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a comprehensive e-learning program that provides students with the Internet technology skills essential in a global economy.   It delivers web-based content, online assessment, student performance tracking, hands-on labs, instructor training and support, and preparation for industry standard certifications.

According to Coeburn, the program is one of the world’s best industry-led education efforts.  “Cisco has been used since the early 70s.  It is currently used by 87% of all networks on the planet.  At some point, they decided to establish an educational branch that would train people on how to set up Cisco equipment.  The company cared enough about the future to invest in education and provide support.”

One of his favorite aspects of the Networking Academy Program is that students receive hands-on training through labs where they actually get to touch routers, switches, and hubs.  Since the program’s inception, the program has spread to more than 150 countries with over 1.6 million students enrolling at more than 12,000 academies.  As Coeburn puts it, “This is a big deal at a little college.  MECC students receive the same training as students in South Korea, Japan, Turkey, and all the other countries.”

He goes on to say, “One of the nice features of the program is that I teach the material that Cisco deems necessary for industry certification, but Cisco administers all the tests.  This feature provides third party validation to my teaching methods in that since I’ve never seen the tests that my students will take I cannot teach the tests.  I’m forced to teach the material.”  

Coeburn is also pleased with the training results pointing to the number of MECC Computer Networking graduates who have obtained jobs with good salaries, and the excellent feedback he has received from employers who have hired MECC graduates.  “The program is difficult, but we’ve had tremendous luck in getting people jobs.  We have graduates working in banks, hospitals, schools, and at companies like Tempur-Pedic, Embarq, Scott County Telephone, Networking and Computing (NAC), and the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy.  We even have some former students who are now networkers at MECC.” 

In addition to a framed award, the Computer Networking program at MECC will receive a video camera and accessories needed to share the college’s story with the rest of the global networking academy community.  The academy’s worldwide map featuring all program participants, including MECC, may be viewed at www.academynetspace.com.

The Computer Networking program at Mountain Empire Community College was recently selected as a winner in Cisco’s Networking Academy Global Recognition Award Program.  Professor Fred Coeburn states that approximately 460 MECC Computer Networking students have gone through Cisco’s program since the college joined the academy 10 years ago.   

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