At a glance
The School of
Applied Technology at Alfred State College is pleased to announce that the
relatively new automotive parts technology curriculum, begun in fall 2007, will
be offered in an online format beginning fall 2008. This new format was
approved at a recent partnership meeting with ASC and UNI-SELECT.
The School of
Applied Technology at Alfred State College is pleased to announce that the
relatively new automotive parts technology curriculum, begun in fall 2007, will
be offered in an online format beginning fall 2008. This new format was
approved at a recent partnership meeting with ASC and UNI-SELECT.
Initially,
UNI-SELECT agreed to support the auto parts technology program with financial
support of $50,000 per year for the first three years of the program. The two
groups are now discussing how the industry can support construction of a new
state-of-the-art parts store on campus in the near future.
The automotive
parts technology program is a two-year AAS (associate in applied science)
program complementing the existing automotive trades curriculums which include
degree programs in autobody repair, heavy
equipment: truck and diesel technician, and motorsports technology. Its
objective is to supply automotive parts stores with entry-level employees.
There is currently no college-level automotive parts technology curriculum in
the state that fills that need, according to college officials. The new online
offerings will provide the ability for Alfred State College to offer the
program nationwide.
"There is a great
demand from industry for entry-level counter people with the technical skills
to advance as managers," noted Cyril ("Skip") Merrick, associate professor and
chair, Automotive Trades Department. "Moving the new automotive parts technology
program to an online format will allow us to greatly expand the ability to
develop in students the necessary skills to succeed in the broad area of
automotive parts store operation."
Fred Roberts Auto
Plus, a division of UNI-SELECT, currently runs an active auto parts store on
the Applied Technology Campus in Wellsville, where students are regularly
exposed to its operation.
The partnership was
developed with the vision of creating a two-year automotive parts technology
program for the industry. This hands-on program and its courses have been
developed based upon input from experts in the automotive parts store industry.
James E. Buzzard,
executive vice president, UNI-SELECT USA, notes that Alfred State College's
"continued commitment to excellence in education and desire to expand the
program offering and degree level" make this partnership possible. "This
[program] will give our industry and company the future employees with the
needed technical and business training."
Craig R. Clark,
executive director of the Wellsville Campus and dean of the School of Applied
Technology, concurs: "The auto parts technology program is a great example of
how industry and education can work together to develop and then support a
program," he noted. "The initial $50,000 per year commitment is being
used for scholarships up to $4,000 to students accepted into the program. We
are very excited to begin discussing how we can expand the program online now
and construct a new facility for the program in the near future."
The knowledge and
skills areas include basic computer operation, communication, business
operation, automotive parts management, automotive parts identification,
pricing strategies, and inventory control. Instruction is based upon the
hands-on modular format that has been successful on the campus for more than 40
years. The program has also been designed to allow its graduates to articulate easily
with Alfred State's technology management (BBA) degree which allows students
who earn an associate's degree in a technical or professional area to complete
a bachelor's degree using a 2 + 2 format. While Alfred State has a strong
reputation for graduating students with outstanding technical skills, these
two-year students have lacked management and business training, which is
crucial for future entrepreneurs. Technology management fills that need,
college officials said.
Graduates of the
program will find employment in automotive parts stores, automotive
dealerships, and larger fleet operations at construction companies or
municipalities as well as at larger institutions that have their
own fleets and maintenance organizations.
Alfred State College's automotive trades programs
boast one of the largest automotive-related college-level enrollments in New
York State. Currently, the automotive trades programs serve
some 260 students with 16 faculty and over
80,000 square feet of facilities to provide hands-on learning.
Award-Winning Programs
- The automotive service technician program was
awarded #1 Post-secondary Automotive Program in New York State by the Industry
Planning Council for 1996, 1998, and 2006, and was national runner-up for 1998
and national winner in 2000. - The heavy equipment: truck & diesel program
is one of nine national Association of Diesel Specialists (ADS) TechSmart
programs. - Three program areas-automotive service
technician, heavy equipment: truck and diesel technician, and autobody
repair-are all National Automotive Technician Foundation Master Certified. Few
colleges have master certification in all three areas. Alfred State was one of
the first programs to be certified in the nation.
For more
information, contact the Alfred State College Automotive Trades Department at
(607) 587-3117. The Alfred State Admissions Department can be reached by
calling 1-800-4-ALFRED.
Pictured here, following the
decision to offer the automotive parts technology program online, are,
l-r: Dr. John M. Anderson, president, Alfred State College; Cyril
Merrick, associate professor and chair, ASC Automotive Trades Department;
Carmen Capriotto, ASC class of 1972, executive vice president, Corporate
Stores, UNI-SELECT; Craig R. Clark, executive director of the Wellsville Campus
and dean, School of Applied Technology; Gerry Ives, assistant professor, ASC
Automotive Trades Department; James E. Buzzard, executive vice president,
Automotive Group, US, UNI-SELECT; and Al Mosher, ASC class of 1973, Alfred
State partnership manager, division stores manager, UNI-SELECT.