By Jennifer Nagle
IVCC and LaSalle-Peru High School have received a grant of $28,500 for a 2 + 2 program in computer networking.
The program, set to begin in the fall of 2000, will allow L-P juniors and seniors to earn college credit while taking tech prep courses at L-P. Two years of the coordinated classes at L-P would transfer and count toward an Associate Degree in Computer Networking Administration.
Sue Isermann, chair of the business and engineering division, said she was very happy about the agreement.
"It should shorten the amount of time (students) have to go to school, and it will save them money in the long run," she said. "Our goal is to have students come out of the high school program and only have to complete one year here on campus, instead of two years for the associates."
The courses at L-P would match with those at IVCC, Isermann said.
The Special Initiative Grant is being used toward training of L-P and IVCC faculty, some equipment upgrades, and to cover some of the cost of meetings and talks between the two schools.
Both schools are already preparing for the program. L-P has trained Dan Mercer for the program, and IVCC hired a computer networking instructor, Gina Elias.
Isermann said this was the first agreement of its kind between IVCC and an area high school. She said college officials hope to make similar agreements with other high schools.