SOURCE: Wilson (NC) Daily TimesAUDIENCE: 28,000 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings]

DATE: 12−06−2012HEADLINE: NCC staff member wins award

Source Website

Thursday, December 06, 2012 2:24 PM

NCC staff member wins award

Nash Community College's Chief Information Officer Jonathan Vester was awarded the Empower Award,which recognizes new members who have made a significant impact within the organization during a shortamount of time, during the North Carolina Research and Education Network Community Day.

The event was held in November at Elon University with more than 200 North Carolina educators,researchers, government officials and business leaders attending.

Empower award recipients are selected by the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina with input fromthe NCREN Community.

During the two−day conference, Vester presented "Can You See Me Now? Using Video Services to Extendthe Modern Classroom" delving into the process Nash Community College took during its recent conversionof underutilized and costly video endpoints into interactive two−way instructional portals. The presentationhighlighted uses, possibilities and benefits of video technology for institutions.

Vester also developed and led a MCNC pilot effort at Nash Community College to utilize Cisco System'sMovi technology, a viable and less expensive solution to replace the North Carolina Information Highway indelivering two−way video instruction from NCC classrooms and into the homes and offices of its students. Asa result, 15 North Carolina Community Colleges are now using the technology to deliver real−time video ontheir own campuses. The project resulted in a significant cost savings at Nash Community College andstatewide.

Vester began as Nash Community College's Director of Institutional Technology in January 2011 and wasnamed Chief Information Officer in July 2012. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Education with aconcentration in Community College Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in BusinessAdministration/Computer Information Systems, both from Western Carolina University, and an Associate inApplied Science in Computer Information Systems from Wilson Community College. He resides in RockyMount with his wife Amy and their four children.

(c)The Wilson Times, Wilson, North Carolina.

Highlights: NC, NORTH CAROLINA, North Carolina, Research and Education Network,Microelectronics Center, NCREN, MCNC

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