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FPEF Welcomes 2 new Key
Schools in Ohio and Nebraska |
Northwest State Community College |
Northwest State Community College
may sit in the middle of the cornfields of rural northwest Ohio, however, there
is nothing low tech about this institution. Northwest State currently serves
over 5,000 students per semester. Through workforce development initiatives the
college also serves thousands of students beyond the campus through industry
training programs. Both the college and their workforce development arm, Custom
Training Solutions (www.trainwithCTS.com)
offer a unique blend of live, online and video synchronous learning
opportunities for students and industry partners across the world. Along with
the work Northwest State is doing in Mechatronics, it also serves as a leader in
Plastics Engineering Technology and recently established one of the few approved
Alternative Energy associates degree programs in the state of Ohio.
While the Maintenance
Technician/Mechatronics degree program offered at Northwest State is a relative
newcomer to the field, the faculty, staff and students at Northwest State have
already experienced great success. The concept for this associate degree
program began seven years ago under the leadership of Tom Wylie, Vice President
of Workforce Development at Northwest State. Steven L. Dick was brought on staff
as a full-time fluid power instructor at the beginning of the program. Steven
holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Technology from Eastern Michigan
University, and brought with him 30 years of experience as a journeyman in Fluid
Power to establish this program.
One of the duties Steven was
given upon joining Northwest State was to develop a Maintenance Technician/Mechatronics
program. The potential of the program was evident and the interest of the
students was strong from the beginning. During the first year student teams
representing Northwest State placed first, second, and third at the Skills USA
Competition for Mechatronics. Under the direction of Steven, the teams have
gone on to experience high success rates over the subsequent six years.
Northwest State teams have won the state competition each year and have gone on
to compete nationally where they have won the national competition twice. The
successful Maintenance Technician/Mechatronics program at Northwest State and
their graduates have not gone unnoticed both at the state and national level.
However, with every good
program there is always room for change and growth. In an effort to remain
competitive and to continue improving upon the fluid power program at Northwest
State, the faculty and staff remain open to new ideas and modifications in order
to meet the demands of area employers and the industry as a whole. The staff
continually updates the program as new technology and information becomes
available. This includes a recent overhaul of the program curriculum that added
additional course requirements due to academic requirements and the changing
needs of the industry and eliminated or altered courses that were no longer
current to the needs of today’s employers.
Under the new program,
students are being given the opportunity to receive both theoretical and
hands-on experience. Following completion of the program, students may select
to take the Pneumatic Technician and/or the Hydraulic Technician certification
tests as administered by the International Fluid Power Society. As a part of
the new curriculum, students are exposed to the necessary information and skills
required to successfully complete either or both certifications. Northwest
State does not measure success of the program merely by the number of students
that graduate, it measures its success by the ability of their graduates to
become certified and to perform in the workplace.
The college recently welcomed
Marti Wendel of The Paquin Company, Inc. and member of the Board of Directors
for the International Fluid Power Society as well as a Trustee for the Fluid
Power Educational Foundation, John Nagohosian, Educational Coordinator with the
Board of Directors for the Fluid Power Education Foundation, and Jimmy Simpson,
Vice President of Education with the International Fluid Power Society. During
their visit, these individuals met with representatives of Northwest State and a
current Maintenance Technician/Mechatronics student where they had an
opportunity look more closely at the institution and evaluate the facilities and
curriculum currently in place for the Maintenance Technician/Mechatronics degree
program. Involved in discussions during this meeting were: Mari Yoder, Vice
President for Instructional Advancement, Dan Burklo, Dean of Engineering, Steven
Dick, Fluid Power Instructor, and current student, Ryan Yahraus. This meeting
allowed Northwest State to share with this committee the strengths of the
college as a whole, the engineering department and more specifically the great
work being done through the Maintenance Technician/Mechatronics program.
As a result of this meeting
and their reputation for success, Northwest State Community College was recently
selected as a Key School by the Fluid Power Educational Foundation.
Northwest State now joins a nation-wide network of similarly recognized
institutions that have a proven record of excellence. With this distinction,
Northwest State has become only the third facility in Ohio to be selected as a
Key School. Steven Dick summed it up best when he stated, “By being named
a Key School, Northwest State will be able to continue serving both the
students and area businesses by offering the most up to date programs and
information available today. This increased exposure to leading fluid power
technology, and expedited introduction to local manufacturing and distribution
contacts will truly help our program to provide the training that is needed to
successfully compete in the manufacturing world today.”
Key School
distinction will provide several benefits to both Northwest State Community
College and its student population, including improved access to hardware and
software that is specific to the fluid power industry and is available through
the nation-wide network of Key Schools. Students will also benefit
from the expanded scholarship opportunities available through Key School
distinction that are vital in helping them to complete their education and move
forward into their new career. For more information on Northwest State
Community College you can visit
www.northweststate.edu.
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Engineering
Building |
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Main Entrance |
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Students testing
a hydrostatic three wheeled bike |
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L to R: John Nagohosian FPEF Educational
Coordinator, Steve Dick, Key Professor, Marti Wendel,
FPEF Trustee and IFPS Board Member, Jimmy Simpson, IFPS VP of
Education discussing Electrical Control of an automated system using
Ethernet technology allowing distant control of machinery. |
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L to R: Marti, John, Jimmy, Steve, with automated
pneumatic pick & place and robot. |
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L to R: Marti, Mari Yoder- VP of Institutional
Advancement, Dan Burklo, Dean of Engineering Technology,
Steve Dick, John, and Jimmy. |
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Ryan Yarhaus,
Steve Dick pneumatic flowmeter that doesn't introduce flow error. |
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click on thumbnail images to enlarge |
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