Expanding on its relationship with Wichita State University, NetApp -- a Fortune 500 company with offices in Wichita -- is now offering a class at WSU that will allow students to better understand a range of data storage technologies.

The class, "Enterprise Storage Essentials," is being piloted by NetApp through Wichita State’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) Department. There are 108 students enrolled, eight more than the original quota.

The class provides the students an opportunity to learn material that most students are not exposed to while in school, says John Watkins, professor and chair of EECS.

This is the first such NetApp class on this scale to be taught at WSU, which is considered a “strategic recruiting school” by the company. And it’s a case where WSU’s academic program is able to align with the business goals of NetApp and the greater Wichita area.

“It is another example of how WSU can work with industry in a way that benefits both our students and their future employers,” Watkins says.

Preparing for the workplace

Watkins says the class is a continuance of Wichita State’s history of working with the local industry and the university’s commitment to preparing students for the workplace.

“Students who work for NetApp after they graduate will be able to work on meaningful projects much quicker,” he says. “And students who work for other companies after they graduate will be more familiar with NetApp storage technologies.”

Those who complete the course will also be allowed to take their NetApp Certified Storage Associate (NCSA) certification exam. That designation signals to future employers that the students possess a certain set of knowledge and skills in the data storage area, Watkins says.

Watkins is happy to see WSU’s connection with NetApp grow. In addition to its temporary location in Beggs Hall, NetApp has committed to opening an office in a partnership building being constructed as part of WSU’s Innovation Campus. For years, WSU has had students working at NetApp in co-op and internship positions. Many of those students have gone on to be full-time employees there, as well.

There are also two NetApp employees serving on WSU’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Industrial Advisory Board, and the company has partnered with WSU on the NetApp & WSU Colloquium Series.

“NetApp is blazing a trail that other companies will follow as the WSU Innovation campus is created,” Watkins says.