Pace University Throws Curveball at AV Certification
On episode four of the “Cables, Coffee and Curveballs” Podcast, George Chacko and Rich Miller welcome Cristiano Mazza and Joseph Valerio of the AVIXA Foundation to introduce the planned “MCA 165: Intro to the AV Industry” course at Pace University. Chacko proudly announces Pace University as the first certificate program in higher education that is focused on creating CTS-Certified AV professionals.
Asked what inspired the program, Chacko explains: “This all originated from our days as student workers in the AV department to be honest, [going from] pushing around COW’s (no, not animals… Computers On Wheels) to seeing how far things have come.” There is no doubt that the higher ed AV vertical has evolved from being “end user customers” to major influencers in the AV industry. Creating a certificate degree program is the natural progression to producing a pipeline of talent into the greater industry. As Mazza proclaims on the episode: “AV is a career,” and higher education is uniquely positioned to leverage the mainstream acceptance and understanding of what the industry is and does, since the pandemic brought AV front-and-center in people’s everyday lives. The missing piece has been pledging educational resources to formalize a program. Pace University, alongside the AVIXA Foundation, has now accomplished that.
Chacko and Miller continue: “Hindsight is so interesting. Looking back, we literally learned on the job. There was no ‘formal’ education in AV. We learned by doing, and that is where we hope to go with this educational program we have started to build. It will focus on experiential learning and will be the first of its kind in higher education in the US.” To accomplish this, they are partnering with the Media, Communications & Visual Arts (MCVA) department, led by chair, Dr. Paul Ziek, at Pace University, as the key champion.
As an industry, the higher ed vertical supports itself from within with organizations like the Educational Technology Collaborative (formerly CCUMC), where George Chacko serves as president-elect, but to leverage the pipeline of talent to continue past their college “student worker” roles has always been a challenge. Student workers are the bread-and-butter of higher ed support services. To add the ability for our younger talent to become certified professionals has the potential to create a new and diverse stream of talent into the greater AV industry. When new hires start their career, already holding their CTS certification–paired with an undergraduate college degree–the possibilities are endless.
Higher Ed AV wishes George, Rich, AVIXA, and Pace University all the success! Connect with them for more information about the program!
Furthermore, if you have not yet subscribed to the Cables, Coffee and Curveballs podcast, be sure to listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. “The podcast was initially just a fun idea to do on the side, but it slowly seems to be gaining steam, and whenever you can make fun of yourself (Ahem, @BaldAVGuys) it makes things that much more enjoyable,” explains Chacko. George and Rich are a great team, knowing each other for over 20 years. “[We] complement each other very well. This was an organic partnership before the receding hairlines. We love AV almost as much as we love each other (but don’t tell our wives that)!”
Connect with George, Rich, The Bald AV Guys, and the AVIXA Foundation
George Chacko
Director Educational Media
Pace University
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Georgechacko-CTS/
Rich Miller
Director IT Dyson School of Arts
Pace University
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/richmilleriii
Bald AV Guys & Cables, Coffee and Curveballs Podcast
Twitter: @BaldAVGuys
Instagram: @BaldAVGuys
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/28NxAgGVr40wbiFOc6OMaN
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cables-coffee-curveballs/id1645390419
AVIXA Foundation
Twitter: @AVIXA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/avixafoundation/
Web: https://www.avixa.org/avixa-foundation
Pace University
Web: https://www.pace.edu
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/paceuniversity
