McGraw-Hill Technology Education Sponsors Working Connections National IT Faculty Development Institutes

McGraw-Hill Technology Education today announced it is the title sponsor of the 2004 Working Connections IT Faculty Development Institutes. McGraw-Hill's commitment of financial and in-kind support will help educate college level information technology (IT) faculty about emerging technologies and related teaching techniques at the 10 Institutes, which will be held in various locations across the country. The Institutes, co-founded by the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET), the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Microsoft, provide the first systematic, nationwide program for IT faculty development at community colleges.

"We are pleased to be the primary sponsor of this collaborative effort between business and higher education institutions to ensure faculty has access to the latest tools and materials in emerging technologies," said Brandon Nordin, vice president and group publisher, McGraw-Hill Technology Education. "These Institutes are vital in keeping faculty current with the latest curriculum and technology trends, resources and marketplace requirements in the IT field, especially as we evolve our instructional vision beyond the era of teaching baseline computer literacy skills and concepts."

"McGraw Hill Technology Education shares the vision of the founding partners -- Microsoft, the American Association of Community Colleges, and NWCET's Educator-to-Educator IT Institute - of ensuring that the U.S. has a globally competitive IT workforce through a well-prepared community college faculty," said Duncan Burgess director of the Educator-to-Educator IT Institute.

Each five-day Institute provides educators with the latest information on topics that include: Information Security; Wireless Technologies; New Programming Languages (such as VB.Net and C#); and Web Development. The Institutes will be held in New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, California, and Washington. IT faculty from surrounding states will also have the opportunity to participate.

"Ordinarily there is an 18-month gap between the introduction of cutting-edge technology and its eventual integration into college curriculum," said Lynn Barnett, vice president, AACC. "Through this collaborative effort, we aim to shorten that timeline."

Based on a training model pioneered in 1998 by Microsoft and NWCET at Bellevue Community College, Bellevue, Washington and the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Working Connections Institute is now active in 10 regions and last summer served 842 educators from 15 states across the U.S. The program will reach 10 regions covering over 15 states during 2004 and plans include expanding these offerings to 90% of community college IT faculty nationwide.

About McGraw-Hill Technology Education

McGraw-Hill Technology Education (MHTE), a division of McGraw-Hill Education, is a leading publisher of computer training materials for the post- secondary classroom. Titles range from basic computer concepts to emerging technologies and certification. To better leverage current strengths, MHTE has partnered with Microsoft Learning and NWCET to create the IT training curriculum of the future. For more information, visit www.mhhe.com/it.

McGraw-Hill Education is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and BusinessWeek. The Corporation has more than 320 offices in 34 countries. Sales in 2002 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

About American Association of Community Colleges

Based in Washington, D.C., the American Association of Community Colleges is a national association representing the nation's 1,151 accredited community, junior and technical colleges. The colleges comprise the largest sector of higher education, serving almost half (45 percent) of U.S. undergraduates, an estimated 10 million students each year.

About National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies

The National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies leads education, business and government in developing a skilled information technology workforce for the new economy. The center has developed nationally recognized and validated information-technology skill standards, which comprehensively describe the skills, knowledge and attributes required of workers in the new economy. Through its Educator to Educator Institute, NWCET also provides educators at all levels with professional development in the area of information technology.

SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Education

CONTACT: Media Contacts:
McGraw-Hill Technology Education
April Hattori
+1-212-904-2078
april_hattori@mcgraw-hill.com
American Association of Community Colleges
Norma Kent
+1-202-728-0200, ext. 209
nkent@aacc.nche.edu
National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies
Bob Adams
+1-425-564-3081

Web site: http://www.mhhe.com/it