Jerry Viola began chairing Arapahoe Community College's Automotive Technology Program in October 2006

(February 26, 2007 - Littleton, Colo.)  Last October, Jerry Viola, a former independent auto-repair shop owner, was asked to return to his alma mater Arapahoe Community College (ACC) to chair their apprenticeship-based Automotive Technology Department. He accepted the challenge. Now in his second semester, Viola is executing his vision of transforming ACC's automotive program into what he calls "The Harvard of Automotive Technology."

For Viola, the "Harvard" metaphor for describing the future direction of his program is not simply a grandiose pipe dream. Plenty of facts support the program already being among the nation's best. For instance, the program has been selectively designated by General Motors, Daimler-Chrysler and Nissan to be the one center in Colorado that trains their dealership technicians in this region. And, Viola says, other major car manufacturers are knocking on his door.

In fact GM, Daimler Chrysler and Nissan treat Viola's program like it's a "virtual dealership" by giving it special access to the well-guarded specs and proprietary information that dealership technicians need to repair late model vehicles. Viola's program gets this information three to five years before it is released to non-dealership technicians. Another testament to the program's pre-eminence is the fact that when its certificate and Associate in Applied Science degree earning students have competed in state-sponsored student automotive technician skills competitions over the past twenty years, they have dominated the first, second and third place award categories.

General Motors, Daimler-Chrysler and Nissan have so much faith in the program they have donated a 65-vehicle, one million dollar inventory of brand new cars and trucks on which Viola's students can master vehicle repair fundamentals. The donations have included a few sports and luxury models that might only be affordable to someone with a pro-sports athlete's salary. Tool and equipment manufacturers have also come to the plate by donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to the program. But the most coveted seal of approval for the program has come from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation which recently recertified ACC for another five years after they completed a very thorough and rigorous evaluation of ACC's instruction, facilities and equipment.

So, how is Viola going to build on this success? First, he is going to ensure the program keeps up with ever-changing technology. He explains, "Most cars on the road today have about five computers that each control the vehicle's engine, transmission, body controls, brakes and traction, however in the next five to ten years I predict there will be up to 15 computers controlling a plethora of functions in the most popular automobiles. We're already seeing cars that can parallel park themselves, avoid accidents and so on - it won't be long before cars will be able to practically drive themselves."

Viola is making sure ACC's Auto program is ready for the future by integrating new technology-oriented competency areas into the curriculum such as Global Positioning System (GPS) instruction. "This is the technology that makes OnStar work and will eventually lead to cars being able to drive themselves," says Viola. "I recently talked to Dan Knott, a Daimler Chrysler VP about this at a convention in Las Vegas and he is thrilled we are taking our program in this direction." To incorporate GPS into his classroom, Viola has engaged ACC Geography Faculty-member Rosann Poltrone who is considered by many to be a national expert in the field. Viola also plans to consult with ACC's Computer Based Electronics Technology program to ensure his graduates have the computer competencies they'll require to fully understand GPS.

To keep his program in-sync with the needs of industry, Viola periodically convenes manufacturer and industry advisory committees comprised of some the top automotive executives in the Denver metro-area.  One of those is Hank Held, Senior Vice President of the nine-location Burt Automotive Network, the nation's twelfth largest mega-dealer of vehicles. Held is concerned about the aging population of today's automotive technicians. However, he is confident about the role ACC's Automotive Technology program will play in providing new blood. Comments Held, "ACC's program squarely addresses the industry's need to fill an estimated 60,000 automotive technician positions in the US."  According to Viola, the demand is such that many of those who go through his program can be earning $50,000 a year within a short time of graduating and once they achieve the "master" level the take home pay is between $80,000 and $100,000.

Viola says he wishes to dispel the stereotype of an automotive student being a "grease monkey" that is poor at academics.  He says, "The computer-controlled components of today's automobiles require a technician that has skills and knowledge in math, physics, and computers.  He also requires his students to take, interpersonal communication, technical writing and management classes." However, Viola is so dedicated to ensuring his students receive a relevant education that he works with ACC's English, Physics and Math faculty to adapt their curriculum toward relevant to automotive technology. This enables Viola's students to directly apply liberal arts skills to their automotive career.

ACC's Automotive program has four tracks student's can pursue. The Automotive Technology track prepares students to work for a variety of auto service organizations. The General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program track, the Daimler Chrysler College Automotive Program track and the Nissan School Support Program track all are cooperative education manufacture-specific programs. With these programs, students must maintain employment with whichever vehicle manufacturer they wish to specialize in during their two-year apprenticeship.

Being accepted into Viola's program isn't automatic. To be accepted, students must interview with him, take a mechanical assessment test and pass an industry-standard check of their background and motor vehicle record.For more information about the program call 303.797.5846 or log on to www.arapahoe.edu <http://www.arapahoe.edu/> , click on departments/programs and then click on automotive technology.

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