USNCC Updates

Alexandria Technical and Community College (ATCC) is one of five institutions from across the United States selected to become education partners with the United States Naval Community College (USNCC) in a pilot program to deliver world class education to Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. Nearly 600 students are expected to participate in the pilot that will run from January through June of 2021.

“We are very honored to have been selected to be a partner with the USNCC in this pilot,” said Michael Seymour, president of ATCC. “We are proud of our outstanding record of student success and our nationwide reputation for delivering quality education. Our caring staff and faculty stand ready to ensure military members have a great experience at ATCC.”

Other institutions selected to partner with the USNCC include The State University of New York (SUNY), the University of Maryland Global Campus, the Virginia Community College System, and the University of Arizona.

“We are very excited to be working with top colleges and universities to bring to the members of our maritime service community programs that are going to be of high value and help them achieve their educational goals,” said Dr. Randi Cosentino, president of the USNCC.  “Now that we’ve identified our collaborating schools, we can move forward with our program to ensure we offer the best education to our service members and benefit all those involved.  The pilot will allow us to collect important data that will inform the development of the USNCC. Working in consortium with leading colleges will help us explore outcomes around the design of the program, the processes involved, working relationships, and overall impact.”

During the pilot, ATCC will deliver online Calculus I, Calculus II, and Statistics coursework to 90 service members. These courses will apply toward a new ATCC degree program in Nuclear Engineering Technology designed to serve the military. The college is also eligible to apply for a second pilot program planned for 2022 that will focus on other disciplines and may involve 5,000 students. Full-scale operations are planned for 2023.

“ATCC’s accomplished history and innovative disposition equips us to successfully serve the USNCC and its service members,” said Tamara Arnott, Dean of Educational Services.  “As a member of the Minnesota State system, we have agility in meeting employer and student needs and can leverage access to courses, programs, and outstanding faculty through relationships with our 29 sister colleges and 7 state universities. Additionally, our partnership with Distance Minnesota, a Minnesota State system provider of outstanding academic and student support, gives us the student service infrastructure needed to serve a large online audience.”

The concept of the US Naval Community College, or USNCC, came out of a study seeking to identify opportunities to better prepare enlisted service members and to support them throughout their career. Naval leadership directed the USNCC to begin pilot programs to identify the best way to help enlisted naval service members access naval-relevant education opportunities that will make them better warfighters, improve operational readiness, and support lifelong learning.

Alexandria Technical & Community College has been consistently selected by the Aspen Institute as a top 150 college in the nation. Additionally, the college is recognized in numerous other rankings including being named Minnesota’s number one college by Wallethub. To read more about the success of this college please visit alextech.edu/recognition. The college’s mission is to create opportunity for individuals and businesses through education, innovation, and leadership. For additional information, visit alextech.edu.