Southern Telecommunication Community
Resource Center (TCRC)

Dr. Ray Nabors, Ph.D., Coordinator Eddie Lowrey, IT Specialist Ann Matthews, Administrative Assistant James Burton, Extension Associate

The Southern Telecenter is located in the administrative office of the Delta Research Center on highway T one mile south of Portageville in Pemiscot County. The center provides residents of the Bootheel region of Missouri the opportunity to utilize technological resources for graduate and selected undergraduate education. The telecenter provides continuing education, workshops, technology training, professional development and other educational information. A telecenter creates an environment where individuals have access to local, national, and global information/connections through the use of the public access computer stations, interactive video, networked computer lab, satellite technology, and a physical learning center.

Our University Of Missouri offers a statewide network of ten Telecenters. Through this TeleCenter Network adults can complete college-level credit courses and degree programs while continuing to work. Staff training is presented to support the University of Missouri Outreach and Extension mission. Links are forged with local and state organizations and businesses to instructors and other students across the state of Missouri.

Credit programs offer college credit as opposed to non-credit programs. Non-credit programs can be further broken down into continuing education for certification (CEU), meetings, workshops and training. Students attend programs leading to a certificate or diploma. Telecenters will be best at providing focused technical programs including master degrees and technology training. Potential audience candidates for programs at the Southern Telecenter have been identified through surveys to determine local needs.

1. Credit programs: Masters Degrees in Education, Masters degrees in Social Work, Masters degrees in Agriculture.

2. Continuing Education: Attorneys, and legal assistants, Physicians and medical personnel, Bankers and Accountants, Dentists and dental hygienists, Nurses, Teachers, Law enforcement officers, Pesticide applicators and any other license holding professionals in the state.

3. State Agency: State personnel that travel frequently to Jefferson city for training could reduce travel time, mileage, hotel fees and time away from work by meeting through interactive television in all Telecenter sites. State workers that travel to Jefferson City monthly could take two trips there each year and meet ten times by ITV. The savings to state travel budgets would pay for ITV programming many times over. The potential for saving tax dollars, employee imposition, and time is phenomenal.

4. Client Consultation: Physicians, Lawyers, Financial advisors and other professional consultants can easily use telecenters to consult with clients at a distance. Professional consultations with experts in any field are possible. The information can be shared among experts or clients consulted from any place in the nation. The potential for professional to professional or professional to client consultation is increasing daily. Telemedicine, Telelegal, and Telefinance are all possible and so much more.

5. Extension programs: Extension is an integral partner with the Telecenter network. Although the programs mentioned above are likely to be facilitated and implemented with extension, we at the Telecenters are part of extension and outreach programming. The professional consultation described for other professional persons in number four above is equally true for extension professionals. In addition, extension programs will involve continuing education opportunities, meetings, training and workshops. Professional training for extension specialists will be unlimited.

6. Technology training: there is need and potential for teaching people to use technology in our Telecenters. Technology improves every day. The Telecenter provides an opportunity for all public and private employees, business owners, professionals and students to learn new technology. This knowledge can improve performance on an existing job or provide a new career. It is the intent of this Telecenter to provide technological educational experience in both formal and informal arenas. We believe e-commerce holds great potential for rural business to grow. We hope to offer associate degrees as well as informal technology training.

7. Disaster Preparedness: A major function of this Telecenter is to provide training for first responders in case of earthquake and/or flood. We are therefore engaged in training volunteer fire department members, law enforcement officers, emergency medical persons, emergency management personnel and citizens in how to be ready for disaster. It is estimated the next quake will be above 7 on the Richter scale. The epicenter will most likely be in the Missouri Bootheel as it has been in the past. The roads will be impassible, the wells will be broken and water unavailable, electric lines will be broken, communication will be cut off except by radio or satellite, gas lines will be broken, fires rampant and damage devastating. It will take the state 3 days to assess damages, and another 3 days to arrive with medicine or food. If 3.5 billion dollars of damage is possible in St. Louis, we can have more damage and many fewer people to rebuild. Without help from outside our area, we will be refugees. First responder training is a major part of our mission.

2004 Field Day Report