The Technology and Education Department at Chicago State University was approved as Local CISCO Networking Academy by CISCO Systems, Inc. in 2001. Since 2002, the department has offered computer networking courses. While the academy is housed in the College of Education, the curriculum is designed for both teachers and for those who wish to pursue careers in business and industry.

Cisco Networking Academy has been educating the architects of the networked economy since 1997. Networking Academy uses the two great equalizers in life—education and the Internet—to teach IT skills to students from virtually every socioeconomic background and region of the world. These skills help narrow the technology skills gap while enabling communities and countries to compete in the twenty-first century economy.

Academies are located in high schools, two-year colleges and technical schools, four-year colleges, universities, and community-based organizations around the world. All students have access to the same high-quality e-learning curricula, hands-on labs, and online assessments.

Networking Academy delivers marketable IT skills to approximately 700,000 students in more than 160 countries each year. The program leverages the global human network to:

• Empower people to realize the dream of a better life

• Stimulate the development of the global knowledge economy

• Encourage long-term economic growth in communities around the world