VESTA National Center of Excellence

The Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) became an ATE Regional Center of Excellence in 2007 and now includes 2-year colleges in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, thus completing the goal of expanding the Regional Center to include institutions in 12 Midwest states. With a focus on providing students scientific, mathematics, and technology foundations in viticulture and enology, VESTA provides students access to a cadre of nationally recognized expert instructors who provide online courses and participate in designing and implementing local field practicums. Through its expanding partnership and utilizing its ground-breaking distance education model, VESTA provides 2-year colleges and the grape and wine production industry access to knowledge and skill development programs that would not be available if each institution had to develop and sustain separate programs. With this award, VESTA becomes an ATE National Center of Excellence and further broadens its partnership to include four 2-year colleges that represent grape and wine production regions on the east and west coasts. As a National Center of Excellence, VESTA continues to expand the partnership through an Affiliates program that adds twenty 2-year colleges throughout the nation, thus providing the broadest national access to its programs and professional development activities. The VESTA Center also is expanding its scope to include the development of entrepreneurial and business skills. VESTA is developing a pilot project to link its education to employment outcomes with the rapidly emerging statewide, linked education and workforce longitudinal database systems. This activity significantly improves the capacity of ATE centers and projects to accurately track performance measures. VESTA has developed and deployed a ground-breaking distance education model which enables faculty and students, especially in rural areas, to participate in VESTA programs regardless of state boundaries. This exemplary model, which is being widely disseminated, has broad ramifications for implementation to support the education of a workforce at the national level. Finally, VESTA focuses on increasing awareness and interest of veterans and other underrepresented populations in the career opportunities available in this industry, as well as expanding its program to accommodate those with English as a second language.