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Welcome to the June 2010 edition of the NACTEL Newsletter |
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Contents Registration Information
Archive 2010 - March |
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Success takes preparation!
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The NACTEL graduates and their families were honored the previous day at a special banquet attended by the NACTEL Board of Directors and by representatives from Pace University. This made for a very memorable event for the graduates as well as for the many family members also present for the festivities. | ||||||||||||||||
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"I should have taken advantage of my educational opportunities earlier. But, the good news is that I am now taking advantage of this opportunity. I have two young children, and online learning gave me the flexibility to earn my degree and still be present for my family. They see how important it is to study hard and gain knowledge." - Philip Horgan | ||||||||||||||||
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CenturyLink (formerly CenturyTel, Inc.) and Qwest Communications announced on April 22nd that CenturyLink would acquire Qwest in a stock-for-stock transaction. The combination of these two regional firms will result in a company whose enterprise business will be a significant contributor to its growth which, along with the consumer business, will allow it to offer innovative broadband products and services over its advanced networks.
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Online education continues to see increases in enrollment as more universities offer online programs and more students are taking them. There were more than 4.6 million college students taking at least one online course in 2008, or about one in four of all college students. A recent commentary by The New York Times features six experts discussing the pros and cons of online education.
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Ever Hear of Tip and Ring? Tip and Ring are telephony terms. They derive their names from the operator's cordboard plug. As old fashioned way of saying 'plus' and 'minus' or ground and positive in electrical circuits. NACTEL students will learn about Tip and Ring in the AIT170 Telecommunications I course. Better yet, become a telecom expert yourself by enrolling in the NACTEL A.S. degree in Telecommunications at Pace University. Source: Newton’s Telecom Dictionary, 23rd Edition | ||||||||||||||||
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Internet Television may have just taken a significant step forward. At the recent Google I/O conference in San Francisco, Google announced Google TV in partnership with several industry and technology heavyweights. Joining the CEO of Google for this significant announcement were the CEOs from each of Google’s partners in this venture - Intel, Sony, Logitech, Adobe, Best Buy, and DISH Network. Don’t forget that NACTEL's latest Video Technology education program prepares students for technical positions in emerging telecommunications technologies including video. Find out more about NACTEL's Certificate and Associate's degree in Video Technologies. | ||||||||||||||||
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A pastor, a doctor and a technician were golfing one morning behind a particularly slow group of golfers. The technician fumed, "What's with these guys? We must have been waiting for 15 minutes!" The doctor chimed in, "I don't know, but I've never seen such ineptitude!" The pastor said, "Hey, here comes the greens keeper. Let's have a word with him." "Hi George. Say, what's with that group ahead of us? They're rather slow, aren't they?" The greens keeper replied, "Oh, yes, that's a group of blind firefighters. They lost their sight saving our clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free anytime." The group was silent for a moment. Then, the pastor said, "That's so sad. I will say a special prayer for them tonight." The doctor said, "Good idea. I'm going to contact my Ophthalmologist buddy and see if there's anything he can do for them." The technician said, "If that's the case, why can't these guys play at night?" | ||||||||||||||||
Stephanie Swenson
Stephanie joined the telecommunications industry immediately after high school. A country girl who moved to the city, Stephanie was exposed to a lot of new things as a repair technician. She was one of the first women in Kansas to work in a "non-traditional" job. She loved the work she was doing - climbing poles, working outdoors and servicing customer’s technical needs. Stephanie has had some great experiences during her 31 years at AT&T. She worked as the lead technician at the University of Kansas, where she was responsible for all of the telecom related issues. She installed the communications for multiple DEA drug busts. She remembers another project where, “Working with the Secret Service, we converted a pig barn into a communications station for an upcoming visit by George W. Bush, who later became the President.” Stephanie chose the NACTEL program at Pace University because it was perfectly aligned with her job and her goals. She had always wanted a degree, and her husband and family assured her that they would support her return to school. In addition, Stephanie credits her daughter, Nicole, as an inspiration and her mentor. Nicole, who is learning-disabled, is goal motivated and never gave up. Both mother and daughter met their goals by graduating from college in May of 2009. Stephanie sees her recent educational pursuit a journey, and along the way she has prevailed over a number of challenges. She graduated with a 4.0 thanks to a lot of hard work and a very understanding family. Her advice to other students is to, “Tackle the program as quickly as your schedule allows. You never know what unpredicted circumstances may arise at work or in your personal life.” The general education courses that are part of every degree program were an unexpected highlight of Stephanie’s school experience. In her English course, which she was initially dreading, she began research for multiple essays on the Civil War and quickly became immersed in the topic. Through her research, she became friends with Richard Sunderwirth who was in the process of writing a book about Osceola, Missouri. He was impressed with her essays and included her research in his book, The Burning of Osceola, Missouri. Stephanie knows that, “If it weren’t for the NACTEL program, I wouldn’t have learned what was in my own backyard. Now I’m a published author!” Stephanie was a guest speaker at graduation, and she invited her new friend, Mr. Sunderwirth, to attend as well. |
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NACTEL News is brought to you by the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning. |
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May is always an exciting month for NACTEL. May 26, 2010 was graduation day for 121 NACTEL students from across the nation who earned either an Associate's or Bachelor's degree from Pace University. NACTEL graduates, who were able to travel to New York City, marched with fellow Pace University graduates at a spectacular graduation ceremony at Radio City Music Hall.