Office of Public Affairs Acadia University Wolfville, Nova Scotia  B0P 1X0 (902) 585-1362  Fax (902) 585-1072 News Release For Release:July 26, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Acadia and Nortel Networks work together to develop future Internet leaders with new UCC'2000 course

((Wolfville, NS) – The Fred C. Manning School of Business Administration at Acadia University has announced that it is working with Nortel Networks to deliver a Special Topics Course that combines cutting edge networking technology with the necessary marketing research skills to meet the business and network requirements of the information technology industry.  The new program called UCC’2000 Network Architecture and Service Provider Roadmap (UCC’2000) uniquely combines the old with the new in terms of content delivery.

This initiative is part of a larger project that involves universities from across North America. It focuses on strategic network planning, optical networks and application services, and is designed to introduce students to the data communications industry. “ We are leveraging IP content delivery with an on-line virtual classroom and the course delivery methodology," said Roch Charbonneau, vice-president, Network Solutions Engineering, Nortel Networks. “We are investing in future Internet economy leaders by supporting science, math and technology education programs.”

This Special Topics Course incorporates IP teleconferencing technology, interactive virtual teaching exercises, "real presenter" versions of guest lectures, web based self-paced web architecture lessons, and standard in class lectures. The course culminates with an inter-university case competition between the 10 participating universities that are spread around the globe. According to Dr. Conor Vibert, business professor at Acadia, “the development of this course is a landmark for Atlantic Canada and promises to result in the creation of new employment opportunities within the region.”
 

"This new course is an important addition to our curriculum because its purpose is to foster the analytical and teamwork skills that will enable Acadia graduates to add value to their employers on day one," said Dr. Vibert. With high?tech labour shortages reaching critical levels, the trend towards greater collaboration between universities and the private sector is not likely to decrease in the near future.  The formula of teaming business administration, engineering and computer science students has proven a success with UCC’2000.

The Fred C. Manning School of Business is a recognized leader in the use of technology in the classroom and has continued to develop new exciting teaching methods since the introduction of the highly acclaimed Acadia Advantage program.

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For more information, please contact:
Sheri Woodland
Communications Officer 
Acadia University
Phone: (902) 585-1362

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Published by: The Office of Public Affairs Last revised: July 18,  2000 URL: http://www.acadiau.ca/whatsnew/newsrelease/nortelnetworks.htm