Ecotech Institute is a private for-profit

For-Profit School

For-profit education refers to educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking businesses....

 post-secondary

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 institution located in Aurora, Colorado

Aurora, Colorado

City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...

. It is a Proprietary college which, in comparison to traditional colleges or universities, offers classes related to specific professions.

Ownership

The company that owns and operates the schools, Education Corporation of America

Education Corporation of America

Education Corporation of America, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a privately held company that operates private accredited colleges across the United States. Included are four schools, plus one online school and four affiliated businesses.-History:...

, is a privately held corporation headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

. ECA also owns Virginia College Online, which offers distance education

Distance education

Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...

 academic programs via the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

; Golf Academy of America

Golf Academy of America

Golf Academy of America is a two-year golf college offering a curriculum of golf instruction and golf business management. Associate's Degrees and Advanced Associate's Degrees are offered plus a Bachelors Degree via a partnership with Virginia College....

; Culinard

Culinard

Culinard is a culinary school owned by Education Corporation of America. It was opened in 2000 as part of the Birmingham, Alabama branch of Virginia College. The second campus was opened with the establishment of the Jacksonville, Florida branch of Virginia College in 2009...

, and the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, offering degrees in the culinary art

Culinary art

Culinary art is the art of preparing and cooking foods. The word "culinary" is defined as something related to, or connected with, cooking. A culinarion is a person working in the culinary arts. A culinarian working in restaurants is commonly known as a cook or a chef. Culinary artists are...

s.

Location

According to Jason Mann, Vice President of Marketing for Education Corporation of America

Education Corporation of America

Education Corporation of America, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a privately held company that operates private accredited colleges across the United States. Included are four schools, plus one online school and four affiliated businesses.-History:...

, the Colorado location was selected because of the state's renewable energy resources as well as the state government's green-friendly nature. The facility features solar panels and wind turbines on its roof, as well as "solar trees" on the grounds and motion-sensitive lighting.

In a press release, Ecotech has stated that it intends to "expand across the U.S." following the establishment of its Colorado campus.

History

Ecotech's first classes began in July, 2010 in a temporary facility. Ecotech Institute opened its doors in January, 2011 to almost 200 students, some starting their third quarter.

Features

According to Colorado Energy News, Ecotech "features 30 classrooms, 12 state-of-the-art computer and science labs (e.g. electrical, wiring, solar, wind safety, controls and environmental science), studios, student and faculty lounges, a library, and a variety of other amenities":

• Twelve polycrystalline rooftop photovoltaic solar panels with a system capacity of 2.8 kilowatts.
• Integral thin solar technologies embedded into the glass of the front building canopy — a system with a capacity of 9.4 kilowatts
• Eight small wind turbines mounted on the roof to generate up to 4.8 kilowatts of electricity
• A Vertical Axis wind turbine that can generate a total capacity of 4 kilowatts
• Two solar trees, each providing 16.9 kilowatts of electricity, that will generate over 50,000 kilowatt hours per year of electricity
• Energy efficient lighting that will reduce energy consumption by 30 percent below standard lighting energy levels
• Water sense, low-flow fixtures in lavatories
• Motion sensors and a programmed schedule to limit lighting in unoccupied rooms

According to the Aurora Sentinel, in response to President Barack Obama's January 25, 2011 State of the Union speech, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Golden) "said Aurora is already leading the way in clean energy creation with its Ecotech Institute, a college dedicated to preparing students for careers in renewable energy."

Ecotech's energy-saving zero-client technology was highlighted in a Technology Alabama article.

Curriculum

Ecotech Institute offers coursework in renewable energy

Renewable energy

Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...

, sustainable design, and energy efficiency. Specific programs are:

• Electrical Engineering Technology
• Energy Efficiency
• Environmental Paralegal
• Environmental Technology
• Renewable Energy Technology
• Solar Energy Technology
• Sustainable Interior Design
• Wind Energy Technology

All of which are two-year associate's degree (in applied science) programs except for the Sustainable Interior Design program which is being offered as a certification.

Accreditation

Ecotech Institute programs are accredited by the ACICS

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is a non-profit education corporation recognized by both the United States Secretary of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation as an independent and autonomous national accrediting body that accredits institutions of...

but is not regionally accredited, so Ecotech Institute courses are usually not accepted for credit at regionally accredited schools. National accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Degrees from the college may be accepted by employers for entry-level jobs.

Further reading

• Wilson, Eric; "Ecotech Institute: A 2-Year College Dedicated to Clean Energy", 2ndgreenrevolution.com, May 10, 2010
• Goldstein, Adam; "Ecotech Institute opens its doors", Aurora Sentinel, January 17, 2011