CATC Highlight - Building a Solid IT Infrastructure by Focusing on Students and Instructors

Communication is key at the Lebanese American University (LAU) CATC. In April 2004, LAU was selected to host the first Cisco Academy Training Center (CATC) in the Middle East. Since that time, the regional and local Networking Academies under the LAU CATC umbrella have grown to more than 250 Networking Academies in a territory that spans thirteen countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. With a diverse mix of countries, peoples, and economies, the LAU CATC must be extremely flexible and proficient in handling the support of the Academies in all forms of Arabic, modified English, and modified French. Due to the prevalence of multilingual skills among the Lebanese and their technical capabilities, it was only fitting that LAU be Cisco’s choice for the CATC location.

Aside from being the Supervisor of the Academic Computer Center at the University for the past twenty years, Bassam Moujabber is Director and Legal Main Contact for the LAU CATC. He and his staff are responsible for supporting all of the regional academies in their territory and to be the link between Cisco and the Academies. “Communication is essential with such a vast territory,” states Moujabber. “We are constantly in contact with our Area Academy Managers.” Communication is done through traditional mediums such as telephone and email. However, face to face meetings are indispensable in a part of the world where trust can be an issue. Moujabber and his team have made support visits to all regional Academies in their area that have not been deemed as high security risks.

As part of the School of Engineering and Architecture, the LAU CATC understands the importance of having effective instructors. Moujabber and his team conduct “Academy Instructor Days“ to focus on the continuing education of these instructors. They also work with international organizations such as International Technology Union (ITU), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and United Nations Economic Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to sponsor instructor attendance at Academy conferences. Similar focus is put on the student. Moujabber and his team are involved in supplementary projects such as Project Lebanon Hope, an initiative by Cisco, Microsoft and Intel. The project is aimed at helping Lebanese youth build a strong and sustainable economic future in Lebanon. As the CATC in the area, Cisco entrusted LAU for the training of IT Essentials to a large number of private high schools and to five main local academies. In a region that has seen its share of turmoil, Moujabber and the LAU CATC are helping to build a solid IT infrastructure through their focus on instructors and students and a foundation in excellent communication practices.

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