Funding & Development
Wake Tech and IBM Join Forces to Promote Stem Careers
RALEIGH, N.C. (August 1, 2011) - Dr. Stephen Scott, president of Wake Technical Community College, has announced that the college has forged a new partnership with IBM to promote careers in STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. IBM has donated $10,000 to the Wake Tech Foundation, to be used to present a STEM summit for community college faculty from across the state.
"We have to stay ahead of the curve," says Tonya Forbes, dean of Wake Tech's Mathematics and Sciences Division. "Keeping up with new technologies is critical to the success of our programs - and to the education of our students. IBM's support provides a tremendous opportunity for us to offer our faculty valuable training and professional development in STEM. We're extremely excited about this important initiative and this partnership."
To kick off the new partnership, Wake Tech faculty and administrators toured IBM headquarters in Research Triangle Park to learn more about the company's interest in promoting STEM careers. IBM has established similar partnerships with other educational institutions.
"IBM is excited about partnering with Wake Technical Community College in helping to promote and enhance STEM education in North Carolina," said Tina Wilson, manager of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs. "To compete in a global, high-tech, and ever-evolving economy, the U.S. must find new and creative ways to invest in STEM education that fuels innovation. With this grant we hope to make it easier for those in the education industry, including students, faculty and administrators, to gain immediate access to a wide range of new STEM educational resources and research applications and tools."
The STEM summit will take place at this year's annual meeting of the North Carolina Community College Faculty Association October 9-11, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center in Durham.
