Midland College Computer Information Technology Students Receive Hands-on Training with $10,000 Donation from Mark Knox FlowersAugust 26, 2021

As COVID-19 variants might once again be forcing us to be apart, it is becoming increasingly imperative that the information technology keeping us connected works properly. Keeping technology in working order is exactly what Midland College (MC) Computer Information Technology students are doing this semester.  On Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. in the Technology Center Room 114 on the Main MC campus, 20 students in MC’s PC Hardware class are utilizing a $10,000 donation of computers from Mark Knox Flowers.

“This generous donation is one of the largest our department has ever seen,“ said Joseph Bontke, MC Professor, Information Technology. “We can do so much hands-on learning with this donation. We will be opening the computers, identifying the parts and components inside, and as the class progresses, we will keep going back to this donation to learn new things.” 

MC Information Technology and Computer Programming students learn computer maintenance, security, networking, computer languages, troubleshooting, programming and design. Graduates can work at the forefront of the next most significant technological innovations. The increasing scope of information technology and computer programming offers the choice to work in a wide variety of highly specialized areas. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 11% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage for computer programming and information technology occupations was $91,250 in May 2020. 

The donation from Mark Knox Flowers includes 29 computers, four printers and one laptop. 

“We recently upgraded our computers, so I reached out to the Computer Information Technology Department at MC to see if they could use the old ones, and it turned out they could,” said Tom Williams, Manager of Mark Knox Flowers. “We like to recycle as much as we can. Knowing these computers can be used for teaching purposes is a great feeling!”  

Mark Knox Flowers is a full-service florist in Odessa. With more than 60 years in the community this family-owned business can personalize sympathy and funeral flowers, weddings and special events. Especially during COVID-19, no contact delivery service is available for home or office delivery.