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MCTC awarded $2 million for distance education
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 12:49 AM EDT
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The new project for improving access and improving instructional quality through distance education will enable the college to expand distance learning options. The grant will fund a new ITV lab in Paris, a faculty digital studio and training lab, and infrastructure upgrades. It will also provide funds for staff to work with MCTC faculty in developing new distance learning offerings and on-line student services.
According to MCTC President Dr. Ed Story, "This grant is going to be very important to the college. This will give us the funds to update our technology and have new updated computer labs on each campus."
MCTC serves 17 counties in Kentucky and two counties in Ohio. Each year, more than 3,600 students attend the college’s campuses in Maysville, Morehead, Cynthiana and Paris, many of them nontraditional students. Since approximately 77 percent of students are employed and 55 percent have children, many of MCTC’s courses are delivered through distance education programs. This grant will allow the college to convert new courses to an on-line format and develop new academic support services including orientation, tutoring and advising.
"It is wonderful to see Maysville Community and Technical College receive much-needed funding and support from the Department of Education," U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis said. "The severe impact that gas prices are having in Kentucky makes the focus on distance learning and education programs all the more important and timely."
"MCTC has always been one of the most innovative of the KCTCS colleges, even though it is the smallest," said Darrell H. Abney, professor of mathematics at the school. "This is especially true in distance education where the college is one of the leaders in on-line education, offering more courses than most larger colleges."
Abney said the first year of the grant will allow the hiring of a few additional staff members, coordinating new labs and ordering additional equipment.
"We will be able to facilitate the faculty," said Abney. "It's going to add and improve our service area."
The proposal was written by Jessica Kerns, director of Grants Development, Kim Bloomfield, associate dean for Distance Education, Abney, and other MCTC faculty and staff members. The process has taken three years and has been under the direction of Story first as academic dean, then as interim president, and now as president.
"It has been a collaborative effort," said Story. "A lot of people have made this possible. You can't imagine the type of work it took from everyone to make this possible. Aggressive grant seeking has certainly been important to us."
"Not only will this grant provide the additional bells and whistles that students expect from an on-line class, but it will also allow MCTC to develop a training laboratory which will support faculty who teach on-line classes," said Bloomfield.
Story said having a full time grant developer in Kerns has been wonderful and allowed the school to win multiple grants. MCTC has been successful in obtaining grant funds for new programs and program improvement such as the National Science Foundation awarded the college t to develop the Power Plant Operations Certificate Program.
"It's really expanded our capability to look for grants and to have a fulltime professional person writing grants. Each grant has its own guidelines," said Story. "We will continue to seek out other grants, especially in the day in which we live. We never know if we will receive any cuts from funds this year or next year."
MCTC will be hosting an open house once further development plans are made. This fall the school will be receiving reaccreditation, marking the 40th year of the college.
"We're going to be celebrating throughout the year," said Story. "We will be doing something different every month."
Abney said he could recall when the college first began in 1968. The first buildings for classes were held in Trinity United Methodist Church and the First Presbyterian Church.
"The offices were in the Cox Building," said Abney.
Contact Barbara Goldman at barbara.goldman@lee.net or by calling 606-564-9091, ext. 274.
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