'Degrees of Separation'
Center for Advanced Engineering marks a milestone

By Amy Coutee
The News & Advance

This year, the Center for Advanced Engineering, operating at Central Virginia Community College, offers interactive video conference courses from four different universities, graduated its 101st student - and that accomplishment marked a milestone in the program. The program, which started in 1986, has steadily grown since its beginnings, and today it offers people the chance to earn one of six engineering degrees from Virginia Tech, seven from the University of Virginia and two from Old Dominion University - all without ever leaving the city of Lynchburg.

"What the Center for Advanced Engineering (CAE) offers ... it's better than even being in the class," says Mark Rutherford, a supervisory engineer at Framatome who earned his master's from UVa through the program. "You ask questions just like you're there." But you don't have to drive the 90 minutes to get to class, he says, and if you miss class, the programs are recorded to you can watch them later.

"It really has a benefit community-wide," says Rutherford, adding that more than engineering classes are now being offered. (Virginia Tech has added an MBA program to the offering.)

"It's really a great asset to Lynchburg." And, as the region expands, the program is ready to expand, too, says Jack Gwinn, director of CAE. "I don't think that the community at large understands that Virginia Tech and University of Virginia and Old Dominion University have a presence here. They're reaching into the region and helping the region."

Applicants must apply to each college's graduate program as they normally would, and, if accepted, can opt to take the courses in Lynchburg. Students pay the college's tuition and pay CAE a local tuition. CAE, now run by a three-person staff, got its start thanks to a group of industrial representatives, says Gwinn, who has been with the program since 1986 and became director in 1991. It is one of many satellite education centers in Virginia where people can take college courses without stepping onto the college campus, but Gwinn says few of them operate like CAE does. CAE is set up as a private, nonprofit that receives money from the Commonwealth in return for its work with the universities.

"It was primarily industry driven," Gwinn says. Several companies - Georgia Pacific, Framatome, BWXT, Hurt and Proffitt Inc. and Wiley & Wilson Inc. - continually have employees in the program pursuing a higher degree or simply getting up to speed with the latest information in the field. "It was a way to help keep their engineers current and it was a way to help attract engineers," says Gwinn. "We exist to help these companies ... Consequently we play a role in the economic development of the region." At any given time there are 11 to 15 different companies represented in the
CVCC classrooms that feature large televisions, two-way video cameras, desks and two-way microphones.

"It's a good way to allow you ... to continue your education," says John Jones, advisory engineer for Framatome. "The process (at CAE) is applicable to anybody interested in a technical
field and that's not just engineering," says Jones, who used CAE to earn an M.E. in Systems Engineering from UVa in 2003. He took courses through CAE because he was interested in the subject matter and he didn't want to commute six hours a week to learn about it. Gwinn says being able to avoid the commute is only one benefit. According to Gwinn, students can complete the programs in three to five years, taking classes when it is convenient, even in the late afternoon and evening. "The benefit is you can maintain your job and your lifestyle," says Gwinn. "You make yourself more attractive to the company that employs you, too."

Contact Amy Coutee at acoutee@newsadvance.com or (434) 385-5524.
Published in The News & Advance, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003