College News
USDOE honors CCCC for educational leadership
01.07.2011 • College General, Special Events
SANFORD – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information is honoring Central Carolina Community College for its “good work across academic and technical areas,” said Walter Warnick, OSTI director.
“CCCC is a strong force for educational opportunities, economic progress and cultural enrichment in the communities it serves,” Warnick said. “CCCC is a leader in sustainable technologies, and is the first community college in North Carolina to offer a biofuels curriculum, which will surely contribute to the growth of the industry throughout North Carolina by providing cutting-edge workforce training and contributing to small business development.”
The OSTI selected the college as its January spotlight institution on the agency’s web site, http://www.osti.gov/EDUconnections/cccc. The spotlight page, titled “DOE Applauds CCCC’s Science and Technical Programs,” includes photos of some of the college’s programs, a box featuring its Alternative Energy Technology: Biofuels program, and connecting links to CCCC’s web site,
www.cccc.edu for information on the college’s science and technical programs. The college’s web site also has a link to the OSTI spotlight page.
The announcement of the honor was made in a Jan. 3 letter from Warnick to CCCC President Bud Marchant.
“We are pleased and honored that the Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information has recognized what we are doing at CCCC,” Marchant said. “The college is committed to being on the cutting edge in educating students for successful careers in many technical and sustainable fields.”
The college has a long list of innovations to its credit. In 2002, it became the first community college in the nation to offer an Associate in Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture. It is the first – and only – North Carolina community college to offer an AAS in Alternative Energy Technology: Biofuels. It also offers an AAS in Sustainability Technologies as well as classes in green building/renewable energy. CCCC has led in responding to the greening of traditional career fields with its eco-tourism and Natural Chef culinary arts programs.
The college’s Laser and Photonics Technology program is a leader in its high-tech educational field, offering high-power laser training. The college offers an array of technical programs, from Bioprocess Technology: Bioquality to Telecommunications Installation and Maintenance.
Central Carolina recently opened a new Sustainable Technology Center on its Chatham County Campus to house its sustainable programs. The facility is on track to receive Gold Level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“It’s gratifying to be recognized at this level,” said Laura Lauffer, the college’s sustainability coordinator. “Our programs at CCCC are unique. The DOE’s recognition supports our efforts to provide affordable and quality education in sustainable technologies. We hope, through this recognition, that more people will find out about the numerous opportunities we provide for hands-on training in these fields.”
According to its web site, the OSTI strives to make the Web work better for science by ensuring that more of the world’s scientific and technical information is available online at no cost to both researchers and the public. It works directly with university libraries and research departments across the nation to increase awareness of its valuable scientific and technical information resources.
Coleman Cassedy, a Central Carolina Community College Alternative Energy Technology: Biofuels student, runs a biofuels test in the college’s biofuels laboratory. The college has been honored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information for its educational leadership in science and technology. As part of this honor, the college is featured as the January spotlight institution on the agency’s web site, http://www.osti.gov/EDUconnections/cccc .
Central Carolina Community College has been honored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information for its educational leadership in science and technology. As part of this honor, the college is featured as the January spotlight institution on the agency’s web site, http://www.osti.gov/EDUconnections/cccc . One example of the college’s commitment to scientific and technical education is its new 18,000-square-foot Sustainable Technology Center on its Chatham Campus. The facility houses the college’s biofuels, green building/renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainability technologies, ecotourism, and organic culinary arts programs. The building meets or exceeds the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Level standards.
- Central Carolina Community College
- Serving Chatham, Harnett, & Lee Counties, NC
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