Related Articles

NACTEL Graduates Awarded Degrees at Pace University

June 8, 2009

Thirteen IBEW members will graduate from Pace University in New York this year, with degrees earned under the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning program.  The program, entirely online, allows students to gain degrees working from home or on the road without attending regular classes.

NACTEL’s telecommunications program, established in 1999, is a partnership between the IBEW, the Communications Workers of America and companies, including AT&T, Verizon, Embarq, Qwest and Frontier.

“I absolutely recommend this program to others,” says Jevon Evans, a customer assistance technician at AT&T and a 10-year member of Downers Grove, Ill., Local 21. 

Evans, who will be awarded an associate degree in wireless technology in September, says that his wife, who has a Bachelor of Arts degree, stays home with their three children.  He wants them to know that their father, too, values higher education.  “The staff was very accommodating,” says Evans, helping him balance coursework with home and job responsibilities.
           
Michael Davison, a Verizon network technician and a member of East Windsor, N.J., Local 827, graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree.  Davison, an alternate shop steward, says that courses in emerging technologies will help him adapt to changes in the telecommunications marketplace.

Patrick McGreal, a journeyman inside wireman, New York, Local 3, graduated a year ahead of schedule with honors and a special award for a perfect 4.0 grade point average.  The weekly assignments were sometimes demanding, but earning a Bachelor of Science degree was worth the trouble, he says.  Keeping him on task were the words of his late father, “An education is never a burden, but ignorance will cost you greatly.”

Also graduating from NACTEL’s program this year are: Local 827 members  Arthur Jolicoeur, Karen Corrado, Richard Damiano, David Furey, Alfred Lee Tard, and William Keating; Local 21 members  Ricardo Landeros, Luwanda Owens, and Nicholas Moniak, and Glendive, Mont., Local 152 member Brad Johnson.

All NACTEL programs are offered online.  Some IBEW members in telecommunications may be eligible for tuition assistance through their employers; check with your local union for more information.  To learn more about NACTEL and its online learning, visit www.nactel.org