Four-Hundred Eighty Area Students to Attend Cool2Career at the New England School of Communications at Husson University

Published on: May 1, 2014

Apple and Husson University’s New England School of Communications’ have joined together with Aruba Networks and Fairpoint Communications to present Cool2Career on May 2nd. This educational event will provide 480 high school and middle school students from across Maine with an opportunity to better understand career opportunities in digital media.

“In today’s world, students and employers utilize technology as part of their everyday personal and professional communications. Often, their first reaction when they encounter a new app or a piece of advanced software is ‘this is really cool.’ Our event is designed to help move students beyond the “cool factor” of technology to embracing these advanced and creative communication tools as a way to make a living. We want to move students’ mindsets from ‘this is cool,’ to ‘this could be my career.’ That’s why we called it Cool2Career,” said Thomas Johnston, President of the New England School of Communications (NESCom) at Husson University.

This hands-on, interactive event will provide students with the opportunity to leverage the power of Apple technology to order to learn more about working in the following professional fields: 
• Animation
• Audio Engineering/Live Sound 
• iBook Production 
• Entertainment Production
• Game Design
• GarageBand Production
• iOS App Development 
• Journalism 
• Marketing/Social Media
• Photography
• Video Production
• WebMedia

Forty Maine high schools and middle schools will be participating in this event. A full list of the participating schools is available at Cool2Career.com/Schools-Attending

The event will kick off at 8:00 a.m. in the lobby of the Gracie Theatre on the campus of Husson University in Bangor, Maine. Registration, work team selection and live music from the Tony Boffa Band will be some of the highlights of the initial hour. 

The formal program begins at 9:00 a.m. in the Gracie Theatre and will feature three brief keynote presentations. 

From 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., work teams, each led by Apple technicians or NESCom faculty and student team leaders, will spread out across the campus and go to work creating and producing content. Groups will reconvene in the Gracie Theatre at 1:40 p.m. to share the results of their work teams. During this portion of the day, the various pieces of content will be incorporated into a large scale, multi-media extravaganza, including accompaniment by the Tony Boffa Band. The event will conclude at 2:40 p.m. After the event concludes, the content developed by students will be added to an iBooks Author DayBook that will be created and distributed to the participants. 

Johnston concluded: “As part of the Cool2Career event, students will utilize Apple devices to make movies; record and mix original music; collect, edit and share photographic images; program iOS apps; write code; design games and more. This event is a great way to engage students in learning while allowing them to have some fun.”

The New England School of Communications (NESCom) at Husson University, located in Bangor, Maine, offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Communications Technology, Entertainment Production and in Media Studies. Within these degrees, students may choose from concentrations in Audio Engineering, Live Sound Technology, Video Production, Web Media, Journalism, Marketing Communications, Radio Broadcasting, Entertainment Production, and Sports Journalism. NESCom provides students with a hands-on experience that gives them the education and skills needed for today's job market.

For more than 100 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies; science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.