AFCOM Helps Institute for Data Center Professionals at Marist College Award Scholarships for 2006 Certification Program; First-of-its-Kind Grant from National Science Foundation Funds Scholarships for Data Center Training.

ORANGE, Calif. -- AFCOM, the leading association for data center professionals, has partnered with the Institute for Data Center Professionals (IDCP) at Marist College to award two of 30 scholarships to the IDCP's online data center certification program for 2006, one of the industry's preeminent educational experiences.

The scholarships, each valued at $16,000, were awarded to Troy Montfort, TIS Facilities Manager, Spectrum Health Hospitals (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Hazel Barnes, Tech Center Operations and Project Coordinator, Nielsen Media Research (Oldsmar, Florida).

The scholarship program is funded by a groundbreaking, three-year "Partnerships for Innovation" grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) originally awarded in 2004 to Marist College for the IDCP, a vendor-neutral certifying body for data center professionals.

The grant, now in its second year, is the first by the NSF to recognize the data center industry as a field worthy of study, and is tiered to subsidize all, or part, of at least 30 individual scholarships per year for the duration of the grant. As one of the IDCP's strategic partners, AFCOM was given the honor of presenting two of the 30 scholarships budgeted for 2006.

"The NSF is the leading independent federal agency supporting research in the fields of fundamental science and engineering, so the significance of this grant cannot be emphasized enough," said Barbara McMullen, Director, IDCP at Marist College. "The IDCP's mission is to provide individuals and companies with vendor-neutral, skills-based training and credentialing that support and diversify the data center, thereby strengthening the national economy and national security in the area of information technology. The NSF grant validates this mission and a belief shared by the IDCP, AFCOM and other industry authorities that as the reliance on access to information has increased over time, so has the importance of the data center."

Scholarship recipients will participate in a unique educational program developed by the IDCP, offering a 35-credit, 18-month online curriculum designed to meet the needs of the current and future data center professionals. Students who successfully complete the program receive six Associate data center certifications: Facilities Management; Systems and Software; Networking; Security; Operations and Process Management; Product Development and Financial Planning.

Further, successful students also receive the overall IDCP Certified Data Center Professional certification (CDCP) and a Marist College certificate in Data Center Technology, which can be applied to a Bachelor's degree completion program.

The scholarships covered 100% of tuition in 2005, the inaugural year; and now 75% of tuition in 2006; and 50% of tuition in 2007, the grant's final year. Emerson Network Power and American Power Conversion are sponsoring the 25% balance of tuition for Montfort and Barnes respectively for the 2006 academic year.

"AFCOM has always been an enthusiastic and vocal proponent of continuing education for data center professionals," said Jill Eckhaus, AFCOM President. "It gives us great pleasure to present these scholarships to Mr. Montfort and Ms. Barnes in partnership with the IDCP, American Power Conversion and Emerson Network Power, all industry leaders that share AFCOM's commitment to education."

About AFCOM:

AFCOM (www.afcom.com) is a leading association for data center professionals, offering services to help support the management of data centers around the world. Established in 1980, AFCOM currently boasts more than 3,000 members and 19 chapters worldwide, and provides data center professionals with unique networking opportunities and educational forums and resources through its annual Data Center World(TM) Conferences, published magazines, regional chapters, research and hotline services, and industry alliances.

About The Institute for Data Center Professionals (IDCP) at Marist College

The Institute for Data Center Professionals (IDCP) (www.idcp.org) is an independent vendor-neutral certifying body. Its mission is to support the professionals responsible for and working in data centers by providing information, access to education and training, certification, and other services for data center professionals in the areas of: systems and software, networking, facilities management, operations and process management, product development and financial planning, security, relevant core organizational and leadership skills, and practicums. As part of its mission, the Institute for Data Center Professionals is responsible for testing and certifying data center professionals as qualified to be addressed as a Certified Data Center Professional (CDCP) or Expert (CDCE).