1. 1 Building a (Community College) GIS Program July, 2008 James Madison University Michael J. (Mike) Krimmer, PhD mkrimmer@nvcc.edu 703.200.8095 www.nvcc.edu/gis

2. 2 Discussion Topics Identifying the need Outlining a program Building a gameplan Executing the gameplan Keys to success Where do I go for help?

3. 3 The Community College “Niche”? What is NOVA? –Largest educational institution in VA –2 nd largest community college in US –“The most economical state college in VA” (WJLA-TV, May ’08) Traditional: undergrads matriculating to 4-year institution Newer: workforce development Newest: “Grad school” of the 21 st Century –“Career switchers”

4. 4 Who are NVCC GIS Students? “Typical” NOVA GIS student: –Adult with bachelors degree (or higher) –1/3 with IT background (programming, database management) –Engineers well-represented –“Career switchers” or skills enhancement –Grad students “in waiting”: JMU, GMU, VA Tech Employed by: AOL, Dewberry, Boeing, SAIC, SPADAC, Fairfax County Community College: the “New Grad School?”

5. 5 NOVA’s Growing GIS Program… *note: Fall 2007 enrollment continues…

6. 6 Program Development Milestones Market analysis Business case –Hardware, software, etc. costs –Class subscription rates The GIS classroom/lab—hardware, software, network, IT support Program/course development, scheduling –Classroom & distance learning Faculty recruitment, adjuncts, training

7. 7 Essential Elements “Marketing” the program –GIS Day –Open houses (high schools visit NOVA) –Kid’s summer camps –Industry and government visits –Campus flyers –Internet—Geosciences web page, Facebook, U-tube GIS career studies certificate (29 hours) –Based on Association of American Geographers –Academic/industry/government/non-profit advisory group –Articulates to other schools (GMU, JMU, etc.) –Includes internships!

8. 8 NVCC GIS Offerings… Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced GIS –Each class includes labs & student term project Cartography for GIS GIS Applications in Environmental Science Intro to Remote Sensing GIS Internship GIS for Continuing Education GPS & Kids (summer program)

9. 9 NOVA GIS Lab Hardware: –24 student seats (primary classroom) Dell workstations –Dual Xeon processors, 2GB RAM, 128K video card, 250GB storage –Dual 19” flat panel monitors –Dedicated Dell Server Dual Xeon processors, 8 gigabytes RAM, 2 terabytes storage Software: –ESRi ArcGIS9.2 (ArcInfo license) –ArcGIS Server (Workgroup license) –ITT ENVI –IDRISI Andes

10. 10 NOVA’s GIS Faculty National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) US Department of Agriculture (USDA/SIS) ITT Solutions (makers of ENVI remote sensing software)

11. 11 GIS Certificate

12. 12 Keys to Success Student term projects (portfolio): knowledge & experience Internships Partnering: education (high schools, school districts, 4-year schools); government (federal, counties); industry; non-profit Student GIS Term Projects

13. 13 GIS Support http://www.ucgis.org/priorities/education/modelcurriculaproject.asp http://igett.delmar.edu/ Michael Krimmer; mkrimmer@nvcc.edumkrimmer@nvcc.edu www.nvcc.edu/gis

14. 14 Some Parting Thoughts… Team with 2- or 4-year institution(s) –Teacher-specific classes (how to teach GIS, using GIS across the curriculum, GIS and SOLs, etc.) –Technical support/advice –Dual enrollment for students –Field trips (local colleges, NASA, county GIS office) “Lean” on local community –County & industry GIS users, 4-H clubs Network –STEM, ESRI, GIS Day, other forums…