A new construction underway at Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey is set to offer esports programmes in the fall.
The university’s esports programme will be housed within its ‘Innovation Center’, a new building funded through a $4m (~£3.19) grant from New Jersey’s Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act and $1.33m (~£1.06m) from Atlantic County.
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Set to open in Fall 2022, the Innovation Center will teach students how to create computer games and learn business skills for success in the esports industry, among other lessons. The new facility will also be outfitted with an ‘esport lounge’ and plans to introduce an esports club in the future.
Senior Vice President of Academics at Atlantic Cape Dr. Josette Katz commented in a release: “Atlantic Cape Community College will transform a dated facility into a state-of-the-art building for instruction in the fast-growing industries of esports and cybersecurity, positioning Atlantic Cape as the region’s leading resource for esports and cybersecurity career advancement.
“Our students will have a significant advantage in two of the most in-demand fields currently.”
Atlantic Cape students pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration can add also an esports option to their degree.
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Associate Professor Karl Giulian, who is developing the esports programming at the university, added: “Businesses and institutions will have tournaments and leagues – which is going to mean facilities and employees and marketing. Our students will be on the ground floor.”
Esports Insider says: Esports is budding in scholastic settings across the United States, and Atlantic Cape’s new building and programme is the latest example of that. The Atlantic City area has become one of the stateside hotbeds for esports over the last several years, introducing state initiatives and other developments to push competitive gaming.