Johnson County Community College – Computing Sciences and Information Technology Division

Update –
Computer Support Specialist (CPCA)
The CPCA program and JCCC Client Support Services are collaborating to provide employment opportunities for students in the Computer Support Specialist program. There are currently 5 students working in the Technical Support Center and 8 additional positions to be filled this semester. This is a win-win for JCCC students gaining invaluable skills in their field of study and Client Support Services employing dedicated and hardworking students.

Health Information Systems (HCIS)
HCIS student Sharon Kernes has accepted a VA contract job with GovermentCIO to start in October, even before fully completing her degree coursework. The recruiter told Sharon they have multiple 5-year contracts with the VA for the new electronic health record and need to hire about 200 IT professionals. Sharon’s prior VA work combined with her HCIS specialty degree coursework that includes Cerner labs, positioned her well for this opportunity.

Medical Information Revenue Management (MIRM)
This summer, Department Chairs from MIRM and HCIS partnered on a Carl Perkins grant project to gather regional and national labor market data, and develop industry-specific contacts for job shadowing and internship opportunities, and employment pathways for students. Work was completed on the project in August, and the departments are working with Marketing to update content on the departmental websites and in printed brochures.

MIRM and HCIS met with Saint Luke’s Health System (SLHS) health information management to discuss their requirements for coding, charge audit, charge management, and HIM IT roles. Opportunities for additional student-experiences were identified, as well as opportunities for collaboration between the programs and department. SLHS will provide additional real-world experience to MIRM students through redacted medical records, and will notify department chairs directly when applicable job postings are available. They are also willing to continue to take students from both programs in internship roles.

Game
The eSports Club is going strong and has a fine set of new officers. Nick Scobee is the new president. The first meeting this semester was Tuesday, August 21st in the CoLab. The club will meet there each Tuesday and Wednesday night this fall. One goal of the club is to develop strengths in all the top eSports games. Currently most players compete in Overwatch, LoL, Smash, CS: GO, Rainbow Six:Siege, and Rocket League. Both beginners and advanced skill levels are welcome.

Web Development and Digital Media
The Web program received a KBOR Integrating Academics with Career & Technical Ed. Grant. Students in the Web Development Program may have a difficult time translating their understanding of math to JavaScript applications. To address this need among Web Development students, the project will create supplemental online tutorials helping students to see how they can translate their understanding of math to JavaScript programming.
IT-Networking
The IT-Networking department continues to work towards building its Cybersecurity program. This summer, we had a student intern with a local company in the cybersecurity area. He mentions the great amount he is learning. He’s made a great impression with his current employer and is confident about his future job prospects. This and many other similar stories outline the importance of the internship experience for our students. It’s how we provide them with a leg up in a competitive workplace. We will continue to develop these relationships with industry partners.

Andrew Lutz, Chair of IT-Networking, met industry leaders including Taylor Milligan from BlackRock Global Information Security and Tedrick Housh from Lathrop Gage to discuss industry trends and partnerships.