November 11, 2008
For Immediate Release

RCCC Participating in Environmental Education Program

          SALISBURY, N.C. — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is working to identify local instructors who will undergo training to teach environmental education courses.

           RCCC is participating in the nationally known North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program, sponsored by the N.C. Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources. The program is designed for anyone with sense of stewardship for North Carolina's natural resources. In addition, the program is a professional development requirement for employees of parks, aquariums, museums and zoos across North Carolina.

           The purpose of the program is to recognize professional development in environmental education, acknowledge educators committed to environmental stewardship, and establish standards for professional excellence in environmental education for formal and volunteer educators.

           RCCC currently is searching for instructors who will teach a "Methods of Teaching Environmental Education" course twice a year at the college. The volunteer instructors will receive extensive training at the Blue Jay Point County Park, an environmental education center near Raleigh, on Feb. 28, 28 and March 1, 2009.

           The trained instructors then will teach the 10-hour, methods-of-teaching workshop at RCCC and potentially other community colleges. Completion of the workshop will satisfy one requirement of the N.C. Environmental Education Certification Program.

           "This is a great opportunity for anyone who has a passion for the environment and would like to teach a workshop at an RCCC campus location," said DeAnn Basden, director of corporate and professional development at RCCC. "The program needs instructors, and we're hoping our local environmental stewards will participate."

           For more information, contact Basden at 704-216-3530 or basdend@rowancabarrus.edu.

           Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is a comprehensive, community-based institution of higher learning, serving the citizens of Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. RCCC offers approximately 40 programs of study in business, health and human services and engineering technologies at multiple campus locations. RCCC annually provides more than 2,000 course offerings, serving an enrollment of approximately 20,000 adult students. RCCC programs include an associate degree in arts and sciences, an associate degree in applied science, and diploma and certificate programs focusing on workforce training, continuing education and basic skills education.

           In addition, RCCC provides the education and job-training programs needed to meet many of the workforce demands of the North Carolina Research Campus, under construction in Kannapolis, N.C.

           For complete details, see the RCCC website at www.rowancabarrus.edu.