K-12 public schools, technical colleges and state universities form crucial partnership
K-12 public school officials, and partnering technical college presidents and state university officials sign a formal agreement to work together in the promotion of engineering and mechatronics education at 111 Executive Center Drive (South Carolina Technical College System office) at 11:00 am on September 9, 2010.
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| Back row left to right: Dr. Darrel W. Staat, President SC Technical College System; Dr. Jim Rex, South Carolina State Superintendent of Education; Dr. Anne Crook, President, Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College; Dr. Kenneth Lewis, Professor of Engineering and Dean of the College of Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, South Carolina State University; Dr. Michael Townsend, President, Denmark Technical College; Dr. Harry J. Ploehn, Professor and Interim Dean, College of Engineering and Computing, USC; Dr. Susan Winsor, Aiken Technical College; Dr. Ronnie L. Booth, President, Tri-County Technical College; Dr. L. Ray Brooks, President, Piedmont Technical College.
Bottom row left to right: Dr. Dennis J. Fallon, Dean of Engineering and Louis S. LeTellier Chair, The Citadel School of Engineering; Henry Giles, Executive Vice President of Spartanburg Community College; Dr. Tim Hardee, President, Central Carolina Technical College; Dr. Kim McGinnis, President, Williamsburg Technical College. |
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South Carolina K-16 education partners received a Rigorous Programs of Study (RPOS) grant from the US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, to establish two pathways designed to positively impact the education of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals in the state. Partners in the grant include the South Carolina Department of Education, Office of Career and Technology Education, South Carolina Technical Colleges, and South Carolina University Partners, including Colleges of Engineering. The University of South Carolina College of Engineering and Computing serves as the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) University Affiliate for the state.
"The education of our future workforce begins from the time a student first enters school. This agreement means that our students will have the opportunity to begin training for their future careers in high school and gain fundamental skills for employment," said Jim Rex, state superintendent of education. "Our goal is to give students every opportunity for success, and I believe that the programs of Project Lead the Way and Mechatronics do just that."
Both PLTW and Mechatronics are programs that begin in high school and students may take classes in which they receive dual credit (both high school and college credit). PLTW is a nationally recognized pre-engineering curriculum and students can continue their studies at technical colleges as well as four public universities in the state including The Citadel, Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and South Carolina State University. As an industrial sector offering, Mechatronics students can continue their studies at a technical college or at South Carolina State University which has the only industrial technology program in the state.
PLTW is one of the two STEM pathways that students can choose in high school and it focuses on engineering or engineering technology, biomechanics, manufacturing, and other applied math and science areas.
Mechatronics has only recently been recognized as a new training opportunity in South Carolina although it has been a widely accepted career in Europe since the 1990s. Mechatronics refers to an interdisciplinary field involving control systems, electronic systems, computers and mechanical systems that integrates product design and automated manufacturing processes. Because industrial applications are becoming more and more complex, industries need technicians with skills that cross a variety of disciplines.
“This collaboration between schools, colleges and universities is a unique one, and it marks another opportunity to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics in our education system,” said Dr. Darrel W. Staat, president of the SC Technical College System. “Our goal is to work closely together to ensure that students are constantly moving forward and attaining new knowledge and skills so that they are equipped to achieve their goals.”
The two lists below indicate technical colleges that are participating in one or both of the programs. More information on the grant and programs can be found at www.stempreparedsc.org.
Project Lead the Way:
Aiken Technical College
Denmark Technical College
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College
Piedmont Technical College
Spartanburg Community College
Tri-County Technical College
Mechatronics:
Aiken Technical College
Central Carolina Technical College
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College
Piedmont Technical College
Tri-County Technical College
Williamsburg Technical College
