May 13, 2008  

Rose-y occasion brings Pellissippi State’s online Web Technology grads face to face

Back in the day, before there was such a thing as the Internet, traditional college classes were taught by an instructor who stood before students in a low-tech classroom and delivered a lecture. If it was a normal-size class—say, 30 students—most knew their classmates by face if not by name.

Nowadays, with the advent of online classes, it’s possible never to meet fellow students in person through the course of a semester. And when the class is over, participants go their separate ways in cyberspace, with nary a face-to-face goodbye. 

Web Technology instructors at Pellissippi State Technical Community College decided this spring that there was a need for human interaction and celebration. So, on May 1 they hosted the first-ever reception for the college’s Web Technology graduates and recipients of Certified Internet Web Professional certifications.

“The theme was ‘You ROSE to the Occasion,’” said Gay Bryant, program coordinator of Web Technology, one of four concentrations in Media Technologies.

“In keeping with the theme, we presented each student with a long-stemmed red rose.” The event, for family and friends, took place at the new Bagwell Center for Media and Art at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road.

“Our students deserve public recognition for their accomplishments,” Bryant said. “Most Web designers work behind the scenes, but their technical skills can make the difference in whether internet users will return to a site or even access it in the first place.”

Web Technology offers both a degree option and certification built around the CIW, a professional credential of competency in information technology standards and knowledge of leading hardware and software technology.

The CIW program is the world’s largest and fastest-growing internet certification for the knowledge economy, Bryant says. Courses can be taken for college credit or non-credit—course content is the same.

Graduates of Web Technology/Media Technologies in 2008 include—  KNOXVILLE: Angela Jones, Matthew Poe, David Stevens, Karras Walters; OAK RIDGE: John Cruse III.   

Students who received certification this spring:

CIW Master Designer certification—KNOXVILLE: John Bosi, Travis Evans, Matthew Poe. 

CIW Professional Certification—KNOXVILLE: Bethany Bayless, John Bosi, Rebecca Drumm, Kim Elmer, Travis Evans, Kathy Lyon, Ed Miller, Jessica Natelson, Matthew Poe; MADISONVILLE: Tyler Hughes; MARYVILLE: Jillian Tidwell;   NASHVILLE: Jonathan Gatlin; OAK RIDGE: David Byrn, John Cruse III, Erin Taylor; SWEETWATER: Brad May.

CIW Associate Certification—ALCOA: Richard “Chad” Williams; KNOXVILLE: Jennifer Barnes, Bethany Bayless, John Bosi, Rachel Codd, Kirsten Combs, Rebecca Drumm, Jeannette Lowry, Kathy Lyon, Faith McCullough, Ed Miller, Jessica Natelson, Tim Porterfield, Jennifer Porterfield, John Reissig, Carol Rumbolt, Irina Sica, Vincent Sica, Brianne Smith, Cheri Steel; LENOIR CITY: David Ensley, Chris Walton; MARYVILLE: Laura Barry, Rebecca Neilsen, Jillian Tidwell; MADISONVILLE: Tyler Hughes, Susan Lovingood; OAK RIDGE: David Bryn, Julie Dement, Paige Hopf, Zhengyuan Ju, Matthew Spence, Erin Taylor; POWELL: James Toomey; SWEETWATER: Brad May; STRAWBERRY PLAINS: Shyane Perkey.

Pellissippi State’s 2005 and 2006 average job placement rate for Web Technology graduates entering the workforce directly was 90 percent.

“The number of jobs in this area is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations,” Bryant said.  

For information about the program, contact Gay Bryant at (865) 694-6488 or gbryant@pstcc.edu.      

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