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Collin College prides itself on its relationships with regional and local business communities and provides multiple opportunities for leaders in business and industry to interact directly with students. These include career fairs, guest speaking opportunities, and internship and clinical site partnerships serving students nearing degree completion.

Industry leaders and community members also play an impactful role early in students’ academic careers through workforce advisory committees designed to lend industry insights into the curricula and programming needs of individual programs. The committees are a way for these leaders to share their knowledge of current industry practices and needs so that Collin can prepare students in a way that maximizes their skill sets, employability, and paths to succeed in their chosen professions.

“Advisory committees comprising industry professionals are essential because they provide critical insights into the workforce that we are preparing students to join,” said Damien Smith, program director for Cybersecurity at Collin College. “Having transitioned from industry to higher education myself, I recognize how rapidly technology evolves. Involving industry experts ensures that our programs and curricula stay relevant and aligned with current trends and demands.”

While many of Collin College’s professors, like Smith, have worked or continue working in the fields that they teach, advisory committee members are tied into current industry needs and may be in a position to offer resources to the programs they advise.

Dr. Catherine Pfent, the college’s Veterinary Technology program director, said that advisory committee members have helped find area farms for classroom use and provide feedback on the most useful equipment for students to train on.

Tripat Baweja, dean of Academic Affairs/Workforce at the Technical Campus, said Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) program advisory committee feedback led to the development of the college’s Robotics and Automation Technology program. And Smith’s program is now looking at ways to implement alternative credentialing pathways for information assurance, a growing field related to cybersecurity.

许多委员会成员也在学生发展中发挥积极作用。 Shakera Subedar, a cybersecurity student, said she believes engagement with industry partners has impacted her career development, noting that student projects or capstones sometimes involve industry partners.

“Having these partners witness firsthand the level of rigor and innovation in our projects gives them confidence in the quality of the program and its graduates,” she said. “I believe this visibility and connection made my job search easier, as industry professionals were already familiar with the program’s standards and had insight into the work we could produce.”

For her part, Dr. Mary Roby, a fabrication manager with Texas Instruments and an EET advisory committee member, said she enjoys those interactions.

“I’m impressed with the students’ self-confidence and energy they put into their projects,” Dr. Roby said. “It is more than ‘school’ when someone is showing me their latest robot design, and I share their pride in what they accomplished.”

罗比博士说，她接受该委员会的职位有两个原因。

“I wanted to gain a different perspective outside of my day job, bringing my experience to the table at a different venue,” she said. “And I get to invest in Collin and its students to pay back the investment others made in me when I was going through college. I’m a first-generation college graduate who is successful because of the investment of others. 轮到我参与到这一浪潮中来了。”

Business, industry, and community leaders serve on advisory committees for the following Collin College programs:

• 动画和游戏艺术，AAS
• 汽车技术，AAS
• 汽车技术-本田PACT， AAS
• 汽车技术- T-Ten丰田，AAS
• 银行和金融服务
• 生物医学设备技术
• 生物技术、证书
• 企业管理，AAS
• 商务办公支持系统
• 临床操作管理，BAS
• 云计算，AAS
• 碰撞技术
• 通信设计，AAS
• 计算机辅助制图与设计
• 计算机网络，AAS
• 计算机系统
• 工程管理，AAS
• 建筑管理，BAS
• 建筑技术-电气，AAS
• 建筑技术-管道，AAS
• 建筑技术-安全
• 烹饪/糕点艺术，AAS
• 网络安全-信息系统，AAS
• 数据库开发，AAS
• 口腔卫生，AAS
• 诊断医学超声
• 幼儿教育，AAS
• 电子工程技术，AAS
• 紧急医疗服务专业
• 美学家,*证书
• 火灾科学，美国科学院
• 地理空间信息科学
• 采暖、通风及空调系统
• 健康信息管理
• 健康专业，AAS
• 酒店和食品服务管理，AAS
• 人力资源与组织
• 发展,原子吸收光谱法
• 保险管理，AAS室内设计，AAS
• 口译员培训计划
• 执法*证书
• 市场营销、原子吸收光谱法
• 医疗辅助高级实践协会
• 医学按摩疗法*证书
• 音乐-商业，AAS
• 护理、、
• 护理学，金沙博彩护士到金沙博彩护士
• 护理、职业、证书
• 律师助理和法律助理，AAS
• 药学技师，AAS
• 摄影-商业，AAS
• 物理治疗师助理，AAS/康复助理，OSA
• 多导睡眠图技术
• 房地产管理，AAS
• 呼吸护理，AAS
• 机器人与自动化技术，AAS
• 软件开发，AAS
• 体育和娱乐管理，AAS
• 供应链管理，AAS
• 外科辅助，证书
• 外科技术
• 城市可持续农业，AAS
• 视频制作，AAS
• 兽医技术
• 焊接技术，AAS

*继续教育计划

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