Ritter Communications President R. Paul Waits presents ASU-Newport Chancellor Larry Williams and ASU President Les Wyatt with a check for Ritter's $250,000 donation for scholarships in the program of telecommunications technology to be offered at the Arkansas State University Technical Center. ASU-Newport professors with the help of Ritter Communications are preparing the course work this summer. The program will be offered this fall. (Tribune photo/Ruth Ann Estes)

Ritter Communications and Arkansas State University -- Newport are partnering to create a new program of study in telecommunications technology at the Arkansas State University Technical Center.

Beginning with the fall semester, the one-year program will provide students with skills for the cable industry which is changing at a very rapid pace. Students will receive a technical certificate in telecommunications after completing 39 credit hours of study.

The courses will include telecommunications, networking, installation, troubleshooting systems, personal computers for telecommunications, functions of being a service technician, technical computer application, technical mathematics and composition, as well as a summer internship.

Ritter Communications has contributed $250,000 to Arkansas State University to fund scholarships in the new program. Ten scholarships per year will be funded over the next five years.

The program will admit 15 students annually, according to Dr. Larry Williams, ASU-Newport Chancellor.

"Seventy-five students will graduate from this program over the next five years," he said.

"This is an excellent example of a leader in business working with their community college to expand economic development and workforce development opportunities. Ritter Communications is truly visionary in its approach to long term workforce development," he said at the Friday morning press conference held at the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce office.

Ritter Communications has over a century-long tradition of providing quality residential and business communication services in North Central and Northeast Arkansas. A pioneer in the telecommunications industry, Ritter Communications has over the years become a regional communications integrator, offering the latest innovations for both home and business including local and long-distance telephone, customized business solutions, high-speed internet and even premium cable TV service.

This course is being developed to meet an emerging need for a technical staff that can support a wide range of technologies and service activities.

"The traditional lines between cable TV, internet access and telephone no longer exist. This requires our employees to support all of these services," Ritter Communications President R. Paul Waits said.

Recognizing that all of the industry-leading technological advancements mean nothing if they are not backed by a strong and responsive service workforce, the technical certificate offered by ASU-Newport and Ritter Communications will provide students a program of study that will fulfill this need.

"Our investment in fiber optic networks and internet technologies fuels a need for investing also in training a specialized work force to meet the new demands of our company and the telecommunications industry," Waits said.

"We thought we would kind of prime the pump for us and others around here to make our industry much more successful and have assets placed that are much more functional," Waits said. "While Ritter may benefit from this, it will also raise the pool of available expertise throughout Northeast Arkansas, and it will also raise the quality of services for all businesses and residents in Northeast Arkansas."

Any prospective students interested in applying or wanting additional information about the program may contact the ASU-Newport Admissions office at 870-512-7842 or 800-976-1676. Information is also available on the ASU-Newport website at www.asun.edu.