Certification Serves as Tribute to Former IST Professor
PORTSMOUTH – 海角乱伦 has received certification from the Cisco Networking Academy for 20 years of active participation in Cisco鈥檚 global education program. The school began offering Cisco courses soon after they became available on a national scale, said Kevin Behnke, a professor of Information Systems Technology.
David Miller, an IST professor at Great Bay who died in 2013, began the partnership with Cisco, and Great Bay鈥檚 20-year certificate is a tribute to Miller鈥檚 early work to establish the program in Portsmouth and help it thrive, Behnke said. 鈥淭his is really in Dave鈥檚 honor,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e began the program, making Great Bay among the first schools in the nation to partner with Cisco and offer these programs.鈥�
Cisco is a leading provider of information technology and networking skills. It partners with schools, governments and nonprofit agencies around the world. Great Bay is among 10,000 academies in 180 countries that offer Cisco courses.
The 20-year certificate is worth boasting about, Behnke said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great accomplishment,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t allows us to advertise that we鈥檙e a Cisco academy and we have been for a long time.鈥�
Known at NetAcad, the Cisco academy trains more than 1 million students annually. In any given semester, 45 to 65 of those students are from Great Bay. Every student that takes IST courses at Great Bay takes Cisco courses, said Mike Harrison, a Great Bay professor.
One of those students is 23-year-old Noah Carle of Portsmouth. As a member of Army National Guard, he鈥檚 been working on Cisco systems on the military side for five years. 鈥淐isco has had a hand in everything I鈥檝e done in the military,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted to get more in-depth knowledge on the civilian side. Having that expanded knowledge will help me with a job.鈥�
He enrolled at Great Bay in fall 2017, and is working toward an associate鈥檚 degree in information technology.
Students who successfully complete the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) program are sought-after commodities, Behnke said. 鈥淚t opens doors in the networking world. It鈥檚 as good as having a degree,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the premiere programs out there.鈥�
Great Bay offers 10 or 11 Cisco courses, more than other schools in the Community College System of New Hampshire. That鈥檚 because Great Bay鈥檚 partnership with Cisco goes back longer than the others, at 20 years and counting.
Great Bay鈥檚 20-year milestone will be noted on the Cisco NetAcad Recognition Program webpage, and the school will receive a certificate noting the accomplishment.
海角乱伦 is a comprehensive postsecondary institution offering quality academic and professional and technical education in support of workforce development and lifelong learning. 海角乱伦 is part of the Community College System of New Hampshire, a public system of higher education consisting of seven colleges in Berlin, Claremont, Laconia, Concord, Manchester, Nashua, and Portsmouth. The colleges offer Associate degrees and career training in technical, professional and general fields, including transfer pathways to baccalaureate degrees. The college鈥檚 second campus, the Advanced Technology & Academic Center is now open in Rochester offering academic courses and a degree program in Advanced Composites Manufacturing. For more information on 海角乱伦, visit www.greatbay.edu.