Contact: Chris Chesrown
Media Relations Manager
480-731-8503

MARICOPA TECHNOLOGY CENTER COMMENDED AS NATIONAL MODEL:
MATEC Curriculum Modules Called “Exemplary”

December 4, 2001 – Curriculum modules for use in education and industry, developed by the Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center, or MATEC, are helping the program receive national acclaim. Members of the Corporate and Foundation Alliance, or CFA, have selected MATEC as one of four “exemplary efforts” to improve teaching and learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education at the undergraduate level.

The MATEC program, part of the Maricopa Community Colleges, addresses workforce demand by the semiconductor manufacturing industry and better prepares technicians to succeed in this rapidly changing high technology field. MATEC faculty have developed over 40 curriculum modules – utilizing a first-of-its-kind CD-ROM/Internet hybrid delivery system – to provide cutting edge materials to over 135 faculty members at 54 different educational organizations. These curricular materials have helped to prepare a large and fast-growing number of students for employment in high-tech fields.

The annual CFA Recognition Program was established in 2000 to identify and showcase innovative undertakings in undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, education. The focus is on educational projects that have achieved significant results, are sustainable, have potential to be replicated or adapted, and could continue to increase in effectiveness over time.

Other projects recognized by the CFA as “exemplary” in 2001 include: South Dakota School of Mines and Technology’s “Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Production,” Jones County Junior College’s “Southeast Consortium for Advanced Network Technology Education,” and UCLA’s “Hewlett-Packard Diversity in Education Initiative.”

Composed of 38 organizations, foundations, and corporations, the CFA is committed to revitalizing the nation's undergraduate education. CFA corporations include Boeing, Microsoft, and Raytheon, while member foundations include the Sloane Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges – Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves roughly a quarter million students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

-maricopa community colleges-

- disclaimer -
We welcome feedback
March 13, 2002