Edmonton, Alb - November 12, 2003 - Distance education at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is the most recent beneficiary of the continuing partnership between NAIT and Cisco Systems Canada, thanks to a $250,000 contribution and today's official opening of the Cisco Centre at NAIT.
Working to improve student access to audio, video and web conferencing technology, the Cisco Centre will help put the benefits of a NAIT education within the grasp of students across the province, across the country and even across the globe.
According to NAIT President Dr. Sam Shaw, the value of being able to connect face-to-face with students regardless of their physical location will become immeasurable once Fairview College and its six campuses are officially included in the NAIT fold on July 1, 2004.
"The essence of this partnership is about a world class technical institute and a global technology company working together to put the latest technology in the hands of students. The Cisco Centre will play a key role in providing our students with access to the equipment and technology they need to be prepared for and successful in the global economy," says Dr. Shaw. "And it will give us additional means of reaching our students outside of Edmonton."
According to Terry Walsh, President of Cisco Systems Canada, "With the Cisco Centre, NAIT students and staff will again take advantage of the benefits of convergence allowing the high speed transmission of voice, video and data over a single network. Use of Cisco's Internet Protocol (IP) communications technology enhances NAIT's ability to take full advantage of the Alberta SuperNet, especially when Fairview College officially becomes a part of the NAIT family."
Located in the NAIT HP Centre for Information and Communications Technology, the Cisco Centre incorporates state-of-the-art conferencing technology, which will give students greater opportunities for distance learning and also give them an understanding of how the technology works. The Cisco Centre will be the home at NAIT for the Queen's Executive MBA National Program, which is being offered in major cities across Canada. NAIT has been chosen to host three learning teams in Edmonton who are taking this prestigious program through real-time video conferencing.
NAIT and Cisco Systems Canada have built a solid relationship that extends beyond this most recent contribution. NAIT delivers Cisco's eight-semester Networking Academy program to students in northern Alberta and is a training centre for sponsored curriculum from Cisco partners, namely Sun Microsystems, Panduit and HP, covering topics such as the Fundamentals of Unix, Java programming, structured cabling and wireless and security training. In fact, more than 200 students have enrolled in Cisco Networking Academy courses at NAIT in the past three years. Additional details are available at http://www.nait.ab.ca/cisco/default.htm.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco Systems Canada Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc, has offices across Canada dedicated to customer support, sales, and service. News and information on Cisco Systems Canada is available at http://www.cisco.com/ca.
About NAIT
Located in Edmonton, Alberta, NAIT is one of the largest institutes of technology in Canada. The Institute offers more than 190 programs (including 32 apprenticeship programs) leading to certificates, diplomas and applied degrees and over 1,200 continuing education courses. NAIT serves more than 17,000 full-time and apprenticeship students and 45,500 continuing education registrations. More information is available at www.nait.ab.ca.
For further information, please contact:
Davis Sheremata
Corporate Communications
NAIT
(780) 471-8447
daviss@nait.ab.ca
Willa Black
Cisco Systems Canada
416-306-7732
wblack@cisco.com
