ECU launches program at Pope AFB
East Carolina University is starting a college degree program at Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville.
The program, designed as accelerated weekend classes for adults with full-time jobs, will award a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology. The program is open to both military personnel and civilians. Courses include electronics, technical writing, materials technology, power systems and industrial supervision.
“There is a great demand in the corporate community for people with this kind of training,” said Dr. Diana M. Henshaw, director of the ECU Division of Continuing Education and Summer School. The division is sponsoring the program in association with the ECU School of Industry and Technology.
Campus and military base officials recently signed an agreement to offer the program at the base. It is the only educational program with a weekend format provided at the Pope base.
Since the program began in January, about 70 students have enrolled in classes taught at the base’s Education Center. Members of the ECU faculty teach the classes. Sessions are held on Saturdays and Sundays and are taught on an accelerated basis with 16 or more hours of classroom time combined into a two-day period. ECU officials said the schedule allows students to hold regular jobs while completing the courses they need for a BS degree in Industrial Technology.
The degree requires a total of 126 semester hours of course work. ECU will offer the required 48 hours (16 courses) in Industrial Technology at the Pope Air Force Base facility. Students may take the remaining courses at other schools and transfer the credit hours to ECU. Henshaw said completion of the degree offers a variety of career opportunities. They include industrial engineering, design and drafting, electronic control systems, purchasing, manufacturing supervision and engineering sales.
The Department of Industrial Technology in the ECU School of Industry and Technology is accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology. All members of the faculty hold doctorates and are engaged in research activities related to industrial technology. The research includes robotics, computer-integrated manufacturing, computer-assisted design, productivity improvement and pollution reduction strategies. ECU is a constituent member of the University of North Carolina. With an enrollment of nearly 18,000 students it is the third largest university in the state. It offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate degree programs at its main campus in Greenville.
As part of the Pope Air Force Base program, ECU will staff an office at the base’s Education Center. John M. Handley is the program administrator and Karl H. Johnson is the program specialist. The office is located in Building 308, room 226. The telephone number for information about the courses is 436-8300.