Panola College's tech savvy recognized in list
By MELISSA TRESNER - Longview News Journal
Friday, April 08, 2005

Panola College in Carthage has received national recognition as a digitally savvy school.

The college was ranked fifth on a top 10 list of digital community colleges by the Center for Digital Education and the American Association of Community Colleges.

A ranking was established based on responses to a 24-question survey, which examined how colleges use technology to streamline operations and better serve their students, faculty and staff.

The center named top 10 winners in three categories – large/urban, mid/suburban and small/rural.

Panola College, with 1,700 students, was in the small/rural category. It was one of two Texas colleges recognized by the center. North Harris Montgomery Community College in The Woodlands was ranked fourth in the large/urban category.

Rhonda Wilson, the communications director at the digital education center, said more than 200 colleges participated in the program this year. This is the second year the surveys and rankings have been released. In the small/rural category, 68 colleges participated, she said.

Community college officials responded to a set questions in the survey that addressed online capabilities for admission, registration, bookstores and grades.

Allen West, the director of information technology services at Panola, filled out the survey for his school. He said the college's focus on improving technology is not anything new.

"We've always had a strong push for technology here supported by the administration," West said.

West, who has worked at Panola for five years, said digital capabilities are becoming a necessity rather than a luxury for colleges.

"Today's student – they're used to having a computer at home. They expect their teachers, their instructors in college to be technology-wise, to have information about their classes online, to have their syllabus they can get to," West said.

He said students want to be able to check their grades online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and at many colleges, including Panola, they can.

The Center for Digital Education is a leading resource on information technology policy, trends and opportunities in kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education, according to its Web site, www.centerdigitaled.com .

The American Association of Community Colleges is a national association representing about 95 percent of accredited U.S. two-year community, junior and technical colleges and their 10.5 million students, and a growing number of international members.

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