NEWS

Oct. 11, 2001

Announcement Made at WorldCom in Tulsa
RSU and Carl Albert Team Up To Offer Technology Degree

Rogers State University and Carl Albert State College are teaming up to offer a four-year technology degree to the employees of WorldCom and other technology companies across Oklahoma.

RSU and Carl Albert recently signed an agreement at the WorldCom offices in Tulsa to offer education and training to employees of WorldCom and a variety of other technology companies.

Now students will be granted credit for their two-year associate’s degrees from Carl Albert toward a new four-year bachelor’s degree in applied technology at RSU as a result of the articulation agreement between the schools.

WorldCom employees may take classes from Carl Albert on site at the company’s facilities at the Cherokee Industrial Park in Tulsa, then may complete all requirements for RSU’s bachelor’s degree in applied technology via the Internet or by traveling the short distance to RSU’s main campus in Claremore.

“This relationship between RSU and Carl Albert will provide broader educational opportunities for WorldCom employees and employees at other technology companies who are looking to expand their telecom and technology knowledge,” said Rich Zwicker, senior vice president of network management and technical support at WorldCom.

RSU’s new bachelor’s degree in applied technology is the only such program in northeast Oklahoma – and one of a few in the state – to provide a four-year education in an applied technology field.

“Our bachelor’s degree in applied technology is tailor made for employees of technology companies who wish to gain a well-rounded education and rise into supervisory or management positions within their company,” said RSU President Joe Wiley.

Many graduates of Carl Albert’s two-year program in telecommunications have become employed at WorldCom and other technology companies in the state. In addition, Carl Albert and WorldCom have developed a telecommunications internship program for students.

“For the past three years we have had an internship program with WorldCom which provides our students with real-world experience in telecommunications, and many of them have been employed by WorldCom after obtaining their associate’s degree,” said Joe E. White, president of Carl Albert State College, located in Poteau, Okla. “This new relationship with RSU will now enable them to get their bachelor’s degree and even further enhance their careers in telecommunications at WorldCom.”

RSU’s bachelor of technology in applied technology is designed to provide an educational foundation in the arts and sciences for students who have received a two-year associate of applied science degree. The new bachelor’s degree combines technical and managerial training to enhance professional career opportunities, Wiley said.

To qualify for the program, students must complete the required general education and technical courses at Carl Albert to gain admission to the bachelor of technology program at RSU. Then students must complete a minimum of 60 hours of courses at RSU for a total of 120 semester hours to earn the bachelor’s degree. Carl Albert students must have a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average on all coursework to enter the program.

RSU is a regional four-year university serving more than 2,800 students on its main campus in Claremore and at branch campuses in Bartlesville and Pryor. RSU offers six bachelor’s degrees and a wide variety of associate’s degrees. RSU is a national pioneer in distance education and was the first public university in Oklahoma to offer bachelor’s and associate’s degrees entirely via the Internet.

Carl Albert State College is a two-year college serving more than 3,000 students in eastern Oklahoma from its three campuses in Poteau, Sallisaw and Idabel.

Both institutions recorded major enrollment increases this fall.

For more information, call RSU at (918) 343-7546 or Carl Albert at (918) 647-1200.