A National 2 Year Associate Degree Program in Environmental Technology

国防部(DoD)资助了第一年的开发活动，以创建一个两年制的社区大学环境技术文科副学士学位。堪萨斯州立大学(KSU)作为这笔资金的接受者之一，已经召集了教职员工团队来编写课程，并组建了一个媒体制作团队来制作和传播它。尽管这是国防部的初衷，但现在很明显，下一年的资金将不会到来。因此，美国国家科学基金会(NSF)有一个难得的机会来资助一个价值840,000美元的基础设施已经到位的项目。例如，有20多所承诺的社区学院准备实施课程并开发二年级课程。一个由AFL/CIO、波音和联合信号航空航天公司等行业支持者组成的全国性联盟正在参与其中，为项目开发提供建议。已经购买了最先进的技术，如卫星教学传输通道、光盘开发设备和媒体制作设备，并完全致力于这一计划。国防部目前的资金用于开发课程材料，但第二、三、四年的资金对于实施课程是绝对必要的。如果没有NSF的支持，就不会有完整的两年环境技术计划的全面开发和实施。该提案明确展示了国防部第一年资金已经创建的基础设施，并明确强调了通过NSF第二年资金完成项目所需的活动。

The Department of Defense (DoD) has funded the first-year development activities necessary to create a two-year Community College Associate of Arts Degree in Environmental Technology. Kansas State University (KSU), as one of the recipients of the funding, has assembled faculty teams to write the curriculum and a media production team to produce and disseminate it. Although it was the original intent of the DoD, it is now apparent subsequent-year funding will not be forthcoming. Consequently, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has a rare opportunity to fund a program in which $840,000 of infrastructure is already in place. For example, there are 20-plus committed community colleges prepared to implement the curriculum and develop second-year courses. A national consortium of industry supporters, such as AFL/CIO, Boeing, and Allied Signal Aerospace, Inc., are on-board to advise on program development. State-of-the-art technologies, such as satellite instructional delivery access, CD-ROM development equipment, and media production equipment, have been purchased and totally committed to this program. Current funding from the DoD is being used to develop curriculum materials, but second, third, and fourth-year funding is absolutely necessary to implement the curriculum. Full development and implementation of the complete two-year environmental technology program will not occur without NSF support. The proposal explicitly demonstrates the infrastructures already created by DoD's first-year funding, and clearly emphasizes activities necessary for program completion by subsequent-year funding from the NSF.