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Kirtland, NM – On August 31, 2018, officials from Navajo Technical University and Central Consolidated School District (CCSD) were excited to host the grand opening of Bond Wilson Technical Center, the first early college high school academy in the state of New Mexico. High School students from Shiprock, Newcomb, and Kirtland participate in dual-credit courses at the instructional site, formerly Grace B. Wilson Elementary School, where they are able to earn college credits through NTU. In an effort to create pathways and opportunities, NTU and CCSD developed a partnership with local industries to offer courses at the new instructional site.
“We opened this new site in collaboration with Central Consolidated Schools and a number of industries like Raytheon, Arizona Public Service (APS), and Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) to offer college courses for students from the surrounding communities,” said NTU President Dr. Elmer J. Guy, who stated that students are enrolled in over 70 college courses that range from culinary arts to pre-engineering. “We are excited about this endeavor. It’s going to provide a pathway for students who want to pursue a specific career. We invite everyone to come and learn more about the programs and the Bond Wilson Technical Center.”
The industry partners highly recommended Navajo Technical University to offer the courses for the students at the academy according to Bond Wilson Technical Center Coordinator of Academics Milo McMinn. “NTU was an obvious choice because of their robust culinary arts program and their ABET accreditation,” said McMinn, who recognized the national accreditation achieved with NTU last week. “We were blown away by their digital manufacturing labs and their partnership with Boeing.”
NTU and CCSD took a data-driven approach into the development of the academy in an effort of better supporting the pathways to careers for students. The initiative intended to support economic growth within the region and create employment for the partnering industries. Industry partners of the academy included Raytheon, Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC), North American Coal Bisti Fuels, and Hewlett Packard (HP). Each partnership will be structured around NTU’s collaborative model with Arizona Public Service (APS), where it offers dual credit courses toward a certificate in Industrial Maintenance and Operations.
The Bond Wilson Technical Center saw 60 students from Newcomb, Shiprock, and Kirtland High enroll for the 2018 fall semester in programs including welding, construction technology, culinary arts, pre-engineering, and computer science. Each of the programs require 30 credit hours total to earn a certificate. Nineteen of the credits derive from general education requirements and the other sixteen are rooted in the core industrial maintenance courses.
For more information on NTU’s dual credit programs, contact Freda Joe at fjoe@navajotech.edu.