Fall 2001

Volume 4 Number 1
A publication of Macon State College

Connecting with HOUSTON COUNTY
Macon State College's IT Degree Program in Warner Robins Going Strong

Macon State students (left to right) Scott Cox, Taylor Alderman and Terry Zimmerman are pursuing their Bachelor of Science degrees in IT at the Warner Robins Center.

Terry Zimmerman enjoys his job repairing and installing computers for a government contractor at Robins Air Force Base. For better job security and to keep moving ahead in his field, he decided to finish college.

“The government is getting more and more restrictive as far as who it hires,” said Zimmerman, 50, a retired Air Force master sergeant, “so hopefully when I get my degree it will make me more marketable, not only for the future but within the company I work for now.”

Pursuit of his goal led Zimmerman to Macon State’s Warner Robins Center, where he is taking full advantage of the college’s decision last year to offer a four-year information technology degree in Houston County. A networking major, Zimmerman said he would have been willing to commute to Macon for all of his classes, but having the IT program at the WRC makes his life much easier.

“I live south of Warner Robins in Bonaire, so I don’t have that long drive after working a full day,” he said. “Instead I have more time to relax or study before I go to class.”

A little more than a year after Macon State introduced the four-year IT degree in Houston County, students like Zimmerman are flocking to the program. Overall enrollment at the WRC jumped 49 percent between summer 2000, when the first IT classes were offered and more core
courses added, and the same term this year.

Dr. Bill Elieson, Macon State’s IT division chair, said information technology classes at the WRC fill up within 48 hours of the registration period opening.

“The potential for the IT program’s growth in Houston County is very good,” Elieson said. “Once we get more classroom space, I think we’ll actually see greater growth there than in Macon, mostly because of Robins Air Force Base and the high-tech industries it attracts.”

Houston County Expansion

W a n t   t o   k n o w   m o r e ? Call the Warner Robins Center at (478) 929-6700 to learn about Macon State's IT degree program in Houston County.

The Thomas School on Watson Boulevard would be renovated and expanded for the Warner Robins Center under the Board of Regents' proposal.

Expanding Macon State’s academic programs in Houston County, especially the IT degree, is one of President David A. Bell’s top priorities—and the community strongly supports the college’s increased presence. In late September, Warner Robins City Council set aside $762,000 to buy the historic Thomas School on Watson Boulevard and donate it to the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents. As part of its fiscal 2003 proposed budget, the Regents approved $5 million to renovate the original building and construct an additional 25,000-square-foot instructional facility on the site.

If Gov. Roy Barnes and the Georgia Legislature approve the Regents’ proposal, Macon State would move the Warner Robins Center from its current leased facility on Osigian Boulevard to the Thomas School site, more than tripling instruc-tional space in the process.

“This is an enormous opportunity and responsibility for Macon State to expand access to higher education for a community that has long supported us,” Bell said. “The Chamber of Commerce in Warner Robins was the first organization to take a formal stand advocating four-year status for Macon State College. The community needs and deserves expanded access to higher education, and with the help of the Regents, we’re going provide that access.”

Bell also noted that the Thomas School site is only half a mile from the main gate of Robins, the largest industrial complex
in Georgia.

“There are thousands of people whose jobs depend on the base, directly or indirectly, and they need to be able to constantly upgrade their skills or learn new skills,’’ Bell said. “We’ve had a long association with the base through the Robins Resident Center, and this expansion will allow us to take that relationship to a new level.”

Macon State has also partnered with the Warner Robins-Houston County Library on Watson Boulevard—next door to the Thomas School—to expand services to WRC students. Pat Borck, MSC’s library services director, said that while some details remain to be worked out, the general plan is for Macon State to provide books, periodicals and computers that support the college’s programs for WRC students to use at the public library. Through the partnership, the Warner Robins library will have access to Macon State’s online periodicals and other databases. The arrangement also means that WRC students will have weekend access to
library services without traveling to the Macon campus.

Saving Time

IT majors at the Warner Robins Center strongly support Macon State’s plans to expand in Houston County. They are a diverse group, ranging from traditional-aged students to working adults. Many, of course, have some connection to RAFB. Taylor Alderman moved to Warner Robins last year when the Air Force transferred her husband, Van Alderman. The couple and their daughter had been stationed in Aviano, Italy, where Taylor Alderman began working on an IT degree. Shortly after relocating, Alderman heard a radio ad promoting the IT degree at the Warner Robins Center.

“I was excited to find out I could keep working toward my degree and that it would be so convenient,” said Alderman, a systems analysis major. “I’ve been very happy with the quality of instruction at the WRC. The equipment in the computer lab is state-of-the-art.”
Scott Cox, 35, an industrial engineer living in Warner Robins, said the convenience of the WRC information technology program helped motivate him to attempt a career change. He is focusing on both programming and database administration to give him as much job flexibility as possible.

“While I have to go the Macon campus for an occasional class, the time I save by being able to complete most of my classes at the WRC makes life a lot easier,” Cox said. “If I had to go to Macon all the time, my kids might forget what I look like. This allows me to have a little extra family time and avoid the expense of driving back and forth to Macon.”

Susan Lalonde, 39, isn’t working outside the home right now, but the prospect of driving back and forth between Warner Robins and Macon in her 16-year-old car was not appealing.

“So I was going to stop with my associate’s degree, and then I heard about the IT program in Warner Robins,” said Lalonde, who is considering a systems analysis major. “I’m very glad to have an opportunity to finish my bachelor’s degree without a lot of commuting.”