Nov. 18, 2009

Caperton Center for Applied Technology to observe 10th anniversary.

CONTACT: WVU Parkersburg President Marie Foster Gnage, 304-424-8200 or William Niday, superintendent of Wood County Schools, 304-420-9663.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

When the Caperton Center for Applied Technology first opened in 1999, it was described as a cutting-edge training model featuring a partnership of public education, higher education and the private sector.

Wood County Schools, West Virginia University at Parkersburg and area business/industry joined together as partners to implement a program of workforce preparation to meet the needs of the region’s workforce. The centerpiece of the Caperton model was a flexible delivery system of training with high school and college students sharing classrooms, faculty and curriculum.

Today, the Caperton Center continues to be one of the most unique, high-tech educational facilities in the country.

A 10th anniversary celebration will be held at 10 a.m., Monday (Nov. 23) at the Caperton Center, located on WVU Parkersburg’s campus. Keynote remarks will be given by the Center’s namesake, former WV Governor Gaston Caperton.

The celebration is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Center’s atrium.

"The Caperton Center is a testament to forward thinking," WVU Parkersburg President Marie Foster Gnage noted.

"The vision to develop this unique collaboration has resulted in countless students pursuing workforce preparation for an increasingly advanced technologic workplace," she added.  

The Center has a three-pronged approach: Wood County Schools’ high school students can pursue college programs while in high school and earn college credit; WVU Parkersburg students can obtain associate and bachelor’s degrees at the Center, and area residents can upgrade and learn in-demand skills through the Center’s flexible offerings.

"The Center’s educational environment features seamless opportunities for high school students to enter technical programs with an uninterrupted route through college," William Niday, superintendent of Wood County Schools, said.

"That is a major component of its uniqueness and effectiveness as a high-tech training resource," he noted.

The shared 60,000-square-foot facility features task specific technology classrooms and flexible training areas.  Tours of the Center will be given as part of the anniversary celebration.

cd11/18/09

For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203 - Office)
E-mail

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