Dr. Stephen Scott, president of Wake Technical Community College, is pleased to report that the College has received more than $2.2 million in grant funding for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Grant funds often provide the means for educational institutions and other non-profit organizations to strengthen and expand their programs beyond the scope of regular operating budgets.

"Grants make it possible for Wake Tech to provide the creative, innovative learning experiences that have profound and lasting effects for students and for the whole community," says President Scott.
"Alternative funding sources such as grants keep many vital programs alive and keep our college on the cutting edge."

One of this year's grants will revolutionize the delivery of online instruction at Wake Tech. Instead of requiring students to travel to a computer lab for training on specialized software, the computer lab will come to them! A grant of $132,636 from the U.S. Department of Labor will help Wake Tech create a Virtual Computing Laboratory Environment (VCLE) and develop a cutting-edge blade server that can host specialized software packages, making them available to students anytime, anywhere.

A $28,650 grant from the National Science Foundation will enable Wake Tech's Simulation and Game Development program to create digital training resources for new science teachers, in conjunction with NC State University. The STIMULATE project (Science Training Immersive Modules for University Learning Around Teacher Education) uses next-generation Web technologies (Web 2.0) to create a three-dimensional gaming application providing learning materials and strategies to engage science teachers in real classroom issues.

Other grants will help to train nursing faculty and students on the use of patient simulators; update curricula in Hospitality, Culinary and Baking programs at community colleges statewide; provide financial aid to college-bound youth aging out of foster care to help them succeed at Wake Tech; and establish the Center for Strategic Futures at Wake Tech, focusing on current conditions and future trends in economic and workforce development.