Local college is only academy to produce three top 10 winners in Cisco Networking Academy’s NetSpace Skills Pursuit

Three students enrolled in St. Charles Community College’s Cisco Networking Academy ranked among the top 10 participants in their category of the 2008 NetSpace Skills Pursuit, a contest open to Cisco Networking Academy students and alumni worldwide.

Only one other Cisco Networking Academy had more than one student in a top 10 category – Baker College of Muskegon, Mich.

Nicholas Clark, of St. Charles, finished first in the Network Technician category. Ted Davis, of Wentzville, finished second in the Network Professional category. Frank Mounce, of O’Fallon, finished eighth in the Network Professional category. Other winners in various categories came from Ecuador, the Philippines, Romania, Ukraine, Denmark, Mexico, Thailand, and the United States.

The online competition had over 3,000 participants from more than 120 countries. There were four levels of competition, allowing participants to compete against others at their same education level. The first level was PC Technician, the second level was Network Technician, the third level was Network Associate, and the fourth level was Network Professional.

For Davis and Mounce, it is the second year in a row they ranked among the top 10 in the competition. In 2007, Mounce finished sixth in the Network Technician category, and Davis finished eighth in the Network Professional category.

“I’m very proud of our students,” said Michael Fuszner, associate professor of computer science and Cisco Certified Academy Instructor. “It is an honor to have so many students from SCC’s program represented in the top 10 of this worldwide competition.”

“Participating in the competition was a good learning tool,” said Mounce. “The competition presented real-life scenarios where I could apply what I’ve been learning in my classes.”

“The partnership SCC has with Cisco is extremely beneficial,” said Davis. “SCC is teaching me exactly what I need to know for my job.” Davis started taking classes at SCC in 2006 to update his skills for his job. He has earned his CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification and currently is working toward his CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification.

St. Charles Community College has a partnership with Cisco Systems to train information technology professionals. The Cisco Networking Academy at SCC teaches students the skills necessary to program routers and switches and to design, implement, and troubleshoot enterprise networks. Students learn the fundamentals of networking, routing, and switching in state-of-the-art labs. The program prepares students for industry certifications like CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) and CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional). For more information on computer networking programs at SCC, contact Fuszner at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.stchas.edu/networking.

For a complete list of winners in all categories of the 2008 NetSpace Skills Pursuit, visit www.academynetspace.com. For more information on the Cisco Networking Academy Program, visit http://cisco.netacad.net.

The Cisco Networking Academy is a global education initiative that provides IT and networking skills to more than 800,000 students worldwide, in over 9,000 academies in 160 countries. In the United States, there are more than 128,000 students enrolled in over 2,200 academies.

St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences, and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational, and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.

Photo and cutline: www.stchas.edu/press

Media contact: Peggy Schreiner, SCC public relations coordinator, 636-922-8276, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it