Cisco donates $88,000 in computer equipment for Champlain College’s IT studies

Champlain College,According to Ali Rafieymehr, dean of Champlain s Information Technology and Sciences Division (IT&S), the new equipment will help students take the skills they learn in the classroom directly to the workplace when they graduate.CISCO DONATES EQUIPMENT TO CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE: (From left) Ali Rafieymehr, dean of the Division of Information Technology and Sciences at Champlain College; Champlain College junior Ben Actis and Jim Hoag, assistant professor and program director of Computer Networking and Information Security show off some of the state-of-the-art computer equipment donated to the college by Cisco Systems for classroom use.Champlain College has received $88,000 in computer equipment that offers students studying computer security, information technology and web development and design a chance to learn their skills on state-of-the-art Cisco Systems equipment. Cisco Corporation is an important entity in today s computer networking and security environment. Their technology is prevalent in enterprise networks throughout the world, he noted. Cisco s generous donation provides our students with access to state-of-the art technology and enhances the hands-on learning environment.Champlain offers a wide range of areas of study and majors that will benefit from the new equipment, including Computer Networking and Information Security, Computer and Digital Forensics and Computer Information Technology. This donation provides an opportunity to associate networking and security concepts taught in courses with a new generation of hardware. Our students gain experience with current technology prior to entering the workforce. We are grateful to Cisco for their interest in the next generation of networking and security professionals and their generosity in this donation, according to Jim Hoag, an assistant professor and program director in Computer Networking and Information Security at Champlain. It was Hoag who learned about the Cisco donation program at a conference last year and wrote the detailed application to secure the equipment from the Cisco Critical Infrastructure Assurance Group (CIAG). Cisco Systems donates equipment to enhance the education of students in the field of information assurance. The equipment includes devices used for routing, switching, firewalls, instrusion detection, wireless networking, and Voice over IP communication. The devices will be integrated into the security courses, router course, telecommunication course and senior projects in the Information Technology and Sciences Division courses. Champlain College students will gain hands-on experience with technology that is currently being integrated into networks at all levels in the real world. They will also learn to apply fundamental networking and security concepts to a new generation of devices. In this field, technology is continually changing and one must be able to adapt and understand the impact of the transition, plan appropriately, and implement effectively, Hoag said.The new equipment will be available for advanced studies, Rafieymehr noted, while the older equipment will still be used for introductory course in networking, security and for student projects. Cisco s equipment gives us the capacity to create industry like conditions in the classroom and to create problem solving exercises that have a real world feel. And in today s economic climate, we think that gives our students a strong advantage when they graduate from Champlain and begin their careers, Rafieymehr said.Champlain College, a private baccalaureate institution, was founded in 1878. Located in Burlington, Champlain College is a national leader in educating students to become skilled practitioners, effective professionals and global citizens. It was ranked 12th in the top tier of Best Comprehensive Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2009. Champlain has approximately 2,000 students, presenting 32 states and 17 countries. It has study abroad programs that include campuses in Montreal, Quebec and Dublin, Ireland. For more information, visit www.champlain.edu(link is external).