Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Saint Martin’s University will begin offering a new Certificate in Software Systems at its Lacey campus in late October, building on the success of its Microsoft Software and Systems Academy, a program currently offered in partnership with the Microsoft Corp. at the University’s Extension Campus at Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s Stone Education Center.
The new certificate program is primarily designed to serve active-duty military and veterans but also will be open to others in the community, says David Olwell, Ph.D., dean of the University’s Hal and Inge Marcus School of Engineering. Final program approval was recently received from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, making it fully eligible for financial aid through the Veterans Administration.
Dean of the University’s Extended Learning Division Radana Dvorak, who has been instrumental in the program’s success at JBLM, said, “I am absolutely delighted that the NWCCU approved the certificate program and grateful to all my colleagues for working so hard to get this off the ground. It’s great news for our wider community population that includes so many veterans, service members and others who stand to benefit from this opportunity.”
Olwell says the one-semester certificate course will be offered in the University’s new Panowicz Foundry for Innovation and the E. L. Wiegand Laboratories. Microsoft has equipped the classroom with cutting-edge computers and software. For veterans who have earned their certification, Microsoft also provides a comprehensive program to support employment readiness, including individual mentoring.
Since it was launched in 2013, the certificate program at JBLM has proved highly successful, with 98 percent of its 141 graduates now employed in the industry.
“They are successfully placed in excellent-paying, high-tech jobs with major employers such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and other industry leaders,” Olwell said. “The University expects to prepare students for similar career-focused success through this new certificate program on campus.”
The first cohort of students on the University’s Lacey campus will begin in late October, and the next in February. In January, Saint Martin’s will begin a 42-week evening/weekend cohort, Olwell said. About 20 students will be enrolled in each group.
For more information or to begin the application process, interested veterans and active-duty military can contact Robert Bone, manager of the Microsoft Academy at Saint Martin’s JBLM extension campus, 253-964-4688; rbone@stmartin.edu. Others interested in the Lacey campus program can contact Computer Science Chair Mario Guimaraes, Ph.D., 360-688-2662;MGuimaraes@stmartin.edu.
