Wabash College has initiated an innovative strategy to solve technology staffing problems experienced by many small undergraduate liberal arts colleges. This strategy targets students talented in the use of technology and moves them through an intensive training program, culminating in certifications, graduate course work, and potential hiring. Over a period of three years, Wabash will have developed a steady stream of technology interns in the pipeline, taught skills to students which will make them very employable, and solved our own problem of recruiting computer services staff. During the freshman and sophomore years, students who show aptitude for computer use will be asked to work as computer operators, staffing the student laboratories. As they progress through the year, they are evaluated for proficiency and are paid additionally depending on their skill level. The best sophomores are selected to become Super Operators their junior year. They are in charge of training the regu...
Guy Davis, John C. Hanes