We are excited to announce the newest branch – IT-oLogy @ University Center of Greenville! Check out the press release that went out yesterday!

The University Center of Greenville, Inc. (UCG) provides a central cost-effective location for the delivery of higher education baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral programs from many of South Carolina’s largest Universities benefiting the citizens and the economic community of Greater Greenville. In addition to 76 degree programs offered from its seven institutional members, UCG is also home to a number of other educationally-related organizations and programs, including Public Education Partners Greenville County, ELS Language Centers and the SimHub™ immersive technology center.

The multi-organizational hub, located inside McAlister Square, provides collaborative space and shared resources, all with the end goal of improving educational access for the Upstate community. The latest organization to call the University Center of Greenville ‘home’ is IT-oLogy.

IT-oLogy is a nonprofit collaboration of businesses, academic institutions and organizations dedicated to growing the Information Technology (IT) talent pipeline and advancing the IT profession. Formed in 2008 as a collaboration between the University of South Carolina, IBM and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina to respond to the IT talent gap, the organization’s mission is to change the face of the IT field.

UCG President & COO David A. Taylor says, “We are very happy to welcome the IT-oLogy organization and staff to the University Center of Greenville as they work to expand their presence and activities in the Greater Greenville area….this is a great opportunity for the Center to collaborate with another partner with strong focus on connecting with leading Universities and employers for the benefit of the citizens and economic community of Greater Greenville.”

IT-oLogy focuses on a broad range of goals from exposing K-12 students to the various career possibilities in the IT field, to advancing professional development opportunities. Key programs are aligned around three simple initiatives: Promote It, Teach It, Grow It.

”IT-oLogy believes that a classroom to the boardroom model is the most effective approach to advancing IT talent,” says Lonnie Emard, Executive Director of IT-oLogy. “Our programs span all ages – from students in K-12 schools, to undergraduates enrolled in higher education institutions to entry-level and seasoned IT professionals.”

The organization’s presence at the University Center will bring networking and experiential learning opportunities to current students in or interested in IT degree programs, such as USC Upstate’s Bachelor of Arts in Information Management & Systems hosted onsite at UCG, as well as professional development opportunities for employees  at local IT-heavy companies like Fluor Corporation.

Middle and high School students considering areas of study pre-college can use IT-oLogy to explore potential degrees and careers through camps or virtual job shadows directing them into fields such as website development, multimedia design, computer systems networking, and much more.

“From the outset, the vision of IT-oLogy has been to have business and academic partners collaborate to advance IT talent,” Emard says. “The lack of IT talent is a national epidemic that is solved in a local manner. The IT-oLogy @ University Center of Greenville branch becomes a visible, physical representation of business, higher ed and K-12 education working together to meet a common goal.”

For more information about IT-oLogy and its programs, visit www.it-ology.org. To learn more about the University Center and the Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees available locally, visit www.ucgreenville.org.