Oracle grants SCC $120,000 in software licenses

SYLVA - Oracle Corporation, through its Oracle Academic Initiative program (OAI), has designated Southwestern Community College as an OAI Campus and granted academic software licenses worth more than $120,000 to SCC's Career Technologies Division.

"We are immensely pleased to have this designation," said SCC President Cecil Groves. "It further establishes Southwestern Community College as a leader in offering students and the citizens of western North Carolina 'world class' education and training."

With OAI, the Career Technologies Division gains access to cutting-edge information technology curricula, world-class software and technical support, faculty education and Oracle certification resources. OAI helps give students the ability to move quickly and productively into today's workforce. The addition of faculty training and curricula discounts places the first-year value of the Oracle grant at $133,000.

The software will be available to SCC students beginning this fall.

Lori Dalton, vice president of Oracle's Global Learning Initiatives, said, "Our industry needs to develop active relationships within the academic community to prepare IT professionals. By incorporating Oracle's technology into curricula, we can help students develop the technical and problem-solving skills they will need to succeed in the high-tech workforce."

Students participating in SCC courses under the OAI will not only be earning credits toward their associate's degrees, they will also be gaining preparation to attain industry certification as Oracle Certified Professionals (OCP). SCC's Prometric Testing Center can administer those examinations.

"The donation from Oracle through OAI represents a tremendous enhancement in our ability to expose students to high-end database software that has previously been out of reach," said Thom Brooks, division chair for Career Technologies. "Our Information Systems, Internet Technologies, and E-commerce programs are identifying pathways to incorporate this technology in their programs."

Oracle Corporation announced OAI in 1997. Since then, Oracle has been helping colleges and universities worldwide to integrate world-class information technology courseware into mainstream education. This new initiative was designed to not only enhance learning but also address the worldwide critical shortage of information technology professionals.