SOURCE: Wilson (NC) Daily Times AUDIENCE: 28,000 [provided by Nielsen//NetRatings] DATE: 12−06−2012 HEADLINE: NCC staff member wins award Source Website Thursday, December 06, 2012 2:24 PM NCC staff member wins award Nash Community College's Chief Information Officer Jonathan Vester was awarded the Empower Award, which recognizes new members who have made a significant impact within the organization during a short amount of time, during the North Carolina Research and Education Network Community Day. The event was held in November at Elon University with more than 200 North Carolina educators, researchers, government officials and business leaders attending. Empower award recipients are selected by the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina with input from the NCREN Community. During the two−day conference, Vester presented "Can You See Me Now? Using Video Services to Extend the Modern Classroom" delving into the process Nash Community College took during its recent conversion of underutilized and costly video endpoints into interactive two−way instructional portals. The presentation highlighted uses, possibilities and benefits of video technology for institutions. Vester also developed and led a MCNC pilot effort at Nash Community College to utilize Cisco System's Movi technology, a viable and less expensive solution to replace the North Carolina Information Highway in delivering two−way video instruction from NCC classrooms and into the homes and offices of its students. As a result, 15 North Carolina Community Colleges are now using the technology to deliver real−time video on their own campuses. The project resulted in a significant cost savings at Nash Community College and statewide. Vester began as Nash Community College's Director of Institutional Technology in January 2011 and was named Chief Information Officer in July 2012. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Education with a concentration in Community College Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Computer Information Systems, both from Western Carolina University, and an Associate in Applied Science in Computer Information Systems from Wilson Community College. He resides in Rocky Mount with his wife Amy and their four children. (c)The Wilson Times, Wilson, North Carolina. Highlights: NC, NORTH CAROLINA, North Carolina, Research and Education Network, Microelectronics Center, NCREN, MCNC
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