SAC receives NSF grant
By: SAC PR
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Tag: Archived
San Antonio College
receives $284,000 National Science Foundation Grant
SAN ANTONIO, TX (Sept. 13, 2012) – San Antonio College (SAC)
has been selected to receive a $284,000 grant (approximately $142,000 per year
for two years) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a 12 semester credit hour
certificate program for server virtualization and cloud computing.
The Enhanced
Skills Certificate in Server Virtualization will teach students to install,
configure and manage public and private computing clouds using Microsoft System
Center Virtual Machine Manager virtualization software, VMware vSphere virtualization
software, open-source virtualization software, Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft SharePoint. The SAC Computer
Information Systems Department will become a VMWare IT Academy as part of the
grant, which will give virtualization students access to cutting-edge, industry-recognized
curriculum and significant discounts on industry certification exams.
In addition to
addressing the growing need for virtualization technicians across San Antonio,
Texas and the nation, this project will allow SAC and Texas A&M University
at San Antonio (TAMU-SA) and St. Mary’s University to establish a pathway to
the TAMU-SA Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences with Business Emphasis degree
and the St. Mary’s Bachelor of Applied Technology in Information Technology
degree through articulation agreements for all courses within the certificate.
“This is an excellent opportunity for SAC students to
benefit from the technology and training that this grant provides and also
serve the needs of the community.
This certification also paves the way for students to
continue with our university partners,” said Dr. Robert Zeigler, president of
San Antonio College.
The certificate program will feature four
three-semester-credit hour courses. CIS faculty hope to have initial courses
offered by Spring 2013. The SAC Server Virtualization Center Project will be
led by SAC CIS faculty members Ron Carswell, Troy Touchette, Michael Matuszek
and Ivan Santana.
For more information about this project, contact Project
Director Ron Carswell at 210-486-1058 or rcarswell@alamo.edu.
For more information about NSF grant programs for
undergraduates, visit www.nsf.gov/funding/education.jsp?fund_type=1.
--SAC--