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Hi-TECCC
Kick Off Celebration
October 18, 2004
Local education and business leaders signed an agreement today creating
the High Technology Education Coalition of Collin County
(Hi-TECCC), a collaborative effort
designed to ensure that area students receive a high-quality
education in the fields of science, technology, engineering
and math.
Among other things, the collaboration will
provide internships and increased scholarship opportunities
for students and
strengthen professional development programs for
teachers.
Hi-TECCC Charter Members
The charter members of Hi-TECCC are the Plano Independent School
District, the Collin County Community College District
and The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) with an
advisory committee of industry leaders from Lockheed
Martin, Nortel Networks, Raytheon and Texas Instruments.
Celebrating the collaboration with remarks and signing the Hi-TECCC
Memorandum of Understanding were:
Dr. Doug Otto, Superintendent - Plano
ISD
Dr. Cary Israel, President - CCCCD
Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, Provost - UTD
Phil Ritter, Senior Vice-president - Texas
Instruments
Whitney Strauss, Manager
- Lockheed
Martin
Robert Holmes, Vice-president - Nortel
Networks
Steve Chambers, Director - Raytheon
Strengthening Education
 The
coalition's intention is to strengthen the collaboration
among the individual educational institutions and implement
continuous improvement
in the educational infrastructure so companies expanding
or relocating
will find a positive climate for research and innovation
in Collin County.
The partnership coincides with Texas Instruments' plans
to build its next manufacturing facility in Collin
County and a $300 million commitment by the state
and University of Texas System to enhance the standing
of UTD's Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer
Science.
"The North Texas region is poised to see reinvigorated economic
development in the high-tech arena. As such, there
is a heightened focus and a sense of urgency to develop future workers
who are equipped for careers in math, science and technology,"
said Bill Sproull, president of the Metroplex Technology
Business Council.
The data indicate that fewer students across the state are pursuing
degrees in engineering - an 8.6 percent drop from 1998
to 2001. For the same time period, across the nation,
electrical engineering degrees declined 47 percent,
from 24,367 to 12,929, according to the American Association
of Engineering Societies
Elements of Collaboration
The collaboration will include, but is not limited to:
- high school internships on the UTD campus for Plano ISD sophomores
and juniors,
- Academic Excellence Scholarships for qualified Plano ISD students,
- Advanced Placement (AP) institutes to train and certify teachers
in AP instruction,
- professional development opportunities
at UTD for Plano ISD and CCCCD instructors,
- articulation agreements between CCCCD and UTD to guarantee a smooth
transition from one institution to the other,
- expansion of early and concurrent admissions programs;
- continuing education scholarships for faculty, and
- creation of a "community of scholars" composed of faculty
from PISD, CCCCD and UTD to help develop seamless
curricula in math, science and related areas of study.
An Industry Advisory Committee will work with Hi-TECCC to:
- enhance and strengthen current strategies and define new programs
that help improve student achievement,
- help guide future curriculum offerings,
- increase the number of Collin County students pursuing engineering
and technical disciplines at Collin County higher
education institutions,
- improve student retention pursuing technical degree plans, and
- enhance the research and intellectual capacity of Collin County.
Supporting Documents
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"The citizens of our community are fortunate to have
nationally recognized educational institutions that
serve the needs of our students and teachers. This
partnership will help us better meet
community expectations."
- Dr. Doug Otto, PISD Superintendent of Schools
"We expect this coalition will
result in better-educated students who have broad exposure
to an array of local career choices. We plan to achieve
a more comprehensive strategic alignment among the
three institutions, as well as a higher level of
awareness among students, faculty and the community
of opportunities that exist in engineering and technology
fields."
- Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, UTD Provost and Executive Vice-president
"We believe in a mosaic approach to
higher education, connecting the student with each
of the educational entities as well as the resources
needed for a meaningful professional career. By working
side-by-side, we can supply a competitive workforce
in high demand fields such as teaching, math, science,
technology and other emerging occupations."
- Dr. Cary Israel, CCCCD President
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