Reeces Creek Elementary School in Killeen won the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Kids Walk email fundraising contest. Reeces Creek supporters sent the most emails of any school in the nation registered in the event.

The foundation awarded the school a $250 gift card for their success. This is the first year Reeces Creek took part in the kids walk and the school is the first in Killeen ISD to participate. The school raised funds for two weeks, culminating with an awareness-raising walk last October.

CTC Foundation receives scholarship donation from Subhani Foundation

The Central Texas College Foundation recently announced it received a $5,000 donation from the Subhani Foundation to endow a scholarship for qualified students pursuing a degree in computer science. Founded in 2010 by Abdul Subhani, managing partner of CenTex Technologies, the Subhani Foundation supports worthy nonprofit, charitable and community-based organizations in an effort to encourage future generations’ appreciation and understanding of the potentials of technology and science through creative education and community outreach programs.

“This scholarship is a tremendous addition to the more than 150 endowed scholarships offered by CTC Foundation,” said James Anderson, board chairman of the CTC Foundation. “As a CTC graduate and adjunct faculty member, Subhani continues to give back to the community. His generosity is paramount to the existence of our scholarship program.”

View full article

Websites are a powerful tool for businesses, giving owners direct control over the message they are trying to deliver to customers.

Below are 10 reasons why websites are important in today’s world.

1. Cheaper and more flexible than print advertising: The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.

2. Market expansion: The Internet has allowed businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer with Internet access.

3. Diversify revenue streams: A website is not just a medium for representation of a company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information.

4. 24-7-365: No more turning customers away when it’s time to close shop, putting up a note saying closed for public holiday or leaving an irritating message on an answering service specifying trading hours. Tell them to visit your website for information.

5. Offer convenience: It is far more convenient for a person to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in a car, drive somewhere and ask someone for information on a product.

View full article

The Central Texas College (CTC) Foundation recently announced it received a $5,000 donation from the Subhani Foundation to endow a scholarship for qualified students pursuing a degree in computer science. Founded in 2010 by Abdul Subhani, managing partner of CenTex Technologies, the Subhani Foundation supports worthy non-profit, charitable and community-based organizations in an effort to encourage future generations’ appreciation and understanding of the potentials of technology and science through creative education and community outreach programs.

“This scholarship is a tremendous addition to the more than 150 endowed scholarships offered by CTC Foundation,” said James Anderson, board chairman of the CTC Foundation. “As a CTC graduate and adjunct faculty member, Subhani continues to give back to the community. His generosity is paramount to the existence of our scholarship program.”

View full article

KILLEEN — Science, technology, engineering and math fields drive much of the innovation at home and abroad. STEM jobs also earn much more than non-STEM professions without any more schooling than most degrees.

But the U.S. is at a disadvantage in the STEM field when compared to other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries who participate in the global market.

According to a 2012 study by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, the U.S. ranks 23rd among the 34 OECD countries in its share of employed 25- to 34-year-olds. It also showed American 15-year-olds placed 25th in math and 17th in science when they took international standardized tests.

“The U.S. is failing to produce an ample supply of workers to meet the growing needs of both STEM and non-STEM employers,” the report stated.

The growth in STEM-related jobs won’t stop anytime soon.

According to the Department of Commerce, the need for STEM-related professions will grow 1.7 times faster than non-STEM jobs between 2008 and 2018.

Evidence of this trend can be seen in Central Texas with a new report by WalletHub.com, in which its economists placed the Austin-Round Rock area as second in the nation for the number of STEM jobs.

WalletHub analyzed the 100 most-populated metro areas in the U.S. and found some other interesting statistics. For instance, Austin ranked No. 7 in the nation for STEM-related employment growth and No. 5 for the largest percentage of STEM workers. Central Texas also ranked No. 13 in the number of job openings per capita for STEM graduates.

A study by the Brookings Institute in July found that such jobs are harder to fill than non-STEM positions, taking an average of 50 days for STEM openings requiring a doctorate, compared to 33 days for non-STEM jobs.

“From hospital technology, to any area of business, people are hiring technology folks,” said Ralph Ford, Central Texas College’s president of Texas operations and online programs. “We’re well aware of that.”

To help feed the need for STEM jobs in Central Texas, Ford said he and others at CTC are working hard to expand educational opportunities for those interested in STEM fields, especially in the growing field of computer science.

View full article