Pasadena City College Makes the Grade With Verizon Business

PASADENA, Calif. – For Pasadena City College, the traditional four walls of the classroom are now only a starting point.

Verizon Business and the college recently finished installing a modern converged Internet protocol network supporting 30,000 students and faculty on the college’s urban campus, which covers 53 acres and 30 buildings. The new platform features voice-over-IP (VoIP) and data services and Wi-Fi Internet access, giving users powerful new tools for working and learning -- both inside and outside the classroom.

(Note: Listen to an audio podcast on Pasadena City College.)

“Before we implemented Wi-Fi with Verizon, wireless on campus was spotty and unreliable,” said Dr. Robert Cody, Pasadena City College assistant dean of computing services. “One week after the project was implemented, I received a photograph from one of the geology teachers, showing students in a classroom who were working on notebook computers on a project on the Internet. Long term, we are looking at integrating faculty and staff members’ personal Wi-Fi phones into the campus VoIP infrastructure. As part of our green initiatives, we are also exploring integrating satellite weather forecasting into the campus irrigation system.”

The Pasadena Area Community College District is located in the West San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. Founded in 1924, Pasadena City College is one of the nation’s largest community colleges, providing associate arts and associate in science degrees, more than 70 Career and Technical Education certificate programs, and a variety of non-credit, community service and extended learning programs. The college is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and a number of other Career and Technical Education accrediting bodies.

Ray Wierzbicki, group president for Verizon Business government and education markets, said: “The classroom in Pasadena is really expanding beyond the traditional bricks and mortar. The college is taking the first steps into a broad world empowered by wireless and IP to enhance the education experience for students, faculty and staff.”

Verizon Business is a leader in providing communications services to governments of all sizes. The company has built the next-generation solutions -- including IT, security, communications, network and professional services -- that are helping to transform the way government customers -- and their constituents -- do business.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with one of the world’s most connected IP networks to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees – enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments – including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions – rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

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