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Public Launch of Cayuga Community College’s C3Video and Cayuga Records
To quote CCC Telecommunications Department Chairperson Steve Keeler, “C3Video and Cayuga Records started as part of the college's commitment to entrepreneurship and economic development, yet we chose to redefine both concepts. In other words, our approach included entrepreneurship instruction in subjects other than just business. For example in our Telcom program, we teach students video and audio production skills, then use the two student-run businesses, C3Video and Cayuga Records, to teach them how to apply those skills to their own businesses. C3Video and Cayuga Records are all about experiential learning. Students get to practice the skills they learned in a classroom as a real business.”
Thomas J. Paczkowski, Director of CCC’s Business & Industry Center said, “CCC is the only community college in New York State to offer courses that help an individual create, develop and then launch a new business in electronic media.”
Students who participate in supporting Cayuga Records learn how to run a recording company from top to bottom. "Last fall, we had our first release on the Cayuga Records label, which is now available for purchase on the Cayuga Records website," explained Keeler. "The CD, 'This is Why', by CCC student Colin Wilson, was well-received and is now on the play lists of other college radio stations."
Keeler says students have produced two recording projects: a poetry reading called "The Memory Unit" by published poet and Syracuse University's creative writing department director, Christopher Kennedy, accompanied by an original music score performed by CCC students. Also, a showcase venue the students have for local bands will provide a variety of opportunities for a series of audio and video recordings. The recordings, as well as logo merchandise for both enterprises, can be purchased at www.cayugarecords.com.
C3 Studios is a student-run video and film production company that will produce original works while instructing the students how to develop and operate a media business. The operation already has three documentary video recordings ready for purchase at www.c3studios.com. The titles include, “The Beauty and the Beast: A Tale of Two Lakes,” “Duct Tape and High Heels,” and “Please Pass the Salt Potatoes: A Guide to Unique Upstate New York foods, Part I.”
"The video, ‘A Tale of Two Lakes’ has found an audience with high school and middle school science classes," said Keeler. "The documentary tells a great local story about ecology concerns that students can relate to because it's about something they live near."
Support for growing entrepreneurial opportunities in the classroom is coming from a number of funding sources, chief among them, the Kauffman Foundation, Emerson Foundation, First Niagara Foundation and the Stardust Foundation.
CCC's telecommunications program is one of the most firmly established in the Northeast, first offering degrees in 1972. The department's facilities provide students with constant access to state-of-the-art equipment and extensive hands-on experience. A practical approach to instruction emphasizes contact with established industry professionals in the classroom, studio and on-site internships.
"There is no limit to what a student will be able to achieve in this new atmosphere of learning," said Keeler. "A student can take an idea, learn the skills to nurture and grow that idea, and then develop their idea into a thriving new business, all with the support of the programs and instructors at CCC."
Professor Keeler may be reached at Cayuga Community College at 315/255-1743 ext. 2282 or by E-mail at keeler@cayuga-cc.edu
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