NATIONAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 2002 GRADUATE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE ON FRIDAY

136 students will receive their Master's Degree from National Technological University (NTU) today. The students have never met their faculty members or each other. Thats because they have earned their masters degrees via distance education.

Fort Collins, CO, August 2, 2002 ---- Its graduation time! But the degree recipients will be far from typical students.

When the sounds of Pomp and Circumstance begin this afternoon, a unique group of graduates will be listening. These students receiving their degrees have never met their faculty members or each other. Thats because each of the 136 members of the Class of 2002 have earned their masters degrees via distance education. They are graduates of National Technological University (NTU), a premier provider of masters degree programs for students around the world and one of the best-kept secrets in Fort Collins.

NTU was founded in 1984 as a private, non-profit, accredited university. Currently, NTU offers over 1,400 graduate-level courses in engineering, information technology, and technical management in 19 Masters Degree programs. The courses themselves come from over 50 of the leading engineering schools in the U.S., the largest distance-learning consortium of universities in the world. Top-flight engineering schools, including Georgia Tech, University of California-Berkeley, Iowa State University, and, of course, Colorado State University and University of Colorado at Boulder, provide the courses from which students select.

Time and technology have expanded not only the degree programs from the original three, but the delivery methods as well. Courses are now delivered via the Internet, CD- ROM, satellite and videotape, and. A student may begin a degree program at one company on the East Coast, move to another facility on the West Coast, or even change companies without interrupting his or her coursework or studies.

At any point in time, over 1,000 students are working toward their Masters Degrees through NTU. Almost all of them are engineers, computer and IT professionals, as well as management professionals who are able to return to school part-time to earn their Masters Degrees through the power of distance-learning technology.

Graduates in attendance on Friday will be challenged by Ernie Anastasio, Senior Consultant, Sylvan Ventures. He will encourage the new alumni of NTU to utilize the skills and talents they have acquired enabling them to assume leadership roles in the 21st Century.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which will be in the Ballroom at the University Park Holiday Inn at 2:00 p.m. Friday, August 2nd. Graduates attending the ceremony include:

Taryn Christine Stebbings
M.B.A. Degree
Motorola, Inc., Libertyville, Illinois

Lisa Peterson
International M.B.A. Degree
NTU Independent Student Program, Mohnton, Pennsylvania

Matthew Luallen
M.S. Degree in Computer Science
NTU Independent Student Program
Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Park, Illinois

Lee Strub
M.S. Degree in Computer Science
NTU Independent Student Program
Veritas Software Corporation, New Brighton, Minnesota

Shawn Richard Oltz
M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering
Whirlpool Corporation
St. Joseph, Michigan

Glenn Michael Smith
M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering
Hewlett-Packard Company
Vancouver, Washington

Kenneth Edward Stebbings
M.S. Degree in Electrical Engineering
Motorola, Inc.
Libertyville, Illinois

E-Shih Chane   
M.S. Degree in Engineering Management
Hewlett-Packard Company
Boise, Idaho
   
Shahrokh Namvar
M.S. Degree in Engineering Management
Lucent Technologies, Inc.
Naperville, Illinois
   
Dana Therese Smith
M.S. Degree in Engineering Management
NTU Independent Student Program
Edna, Texas

Chantell Blackmer
M.S. Degree in Materials Science and Engineering
Micron Technology, Inc.
Boise, Idaho
Alan Osvaldo Cruz
M.S. Degree in Materials Science and Engineering
IBM, Essex Junction, Vermont
   
Ryan Hoa Nguyen
M.S. Degree in Software Engineering
IBM, Boulder, Colorado   

Stephen P. Ulibarri
M.S. Degree in Software Engineering
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Paul Raymond White
M.S. Degree in Special Majors Program, Telecommunications Concentration
Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
Piscataway, New Jersey   

Brad Blau
M.S. Degree in Systems Engineering
U.S. Army, Fort Huachuaca, Arizona