NCSU Computer Science Professor Retires Leaving Remarkable Impressions

PRLog (Press Release) – May 11, 2009 – GARNER, NC  – Carol Miller, lecturer and mentor at North Carolina State University’s Department of Computer Science, honorably retired at the conclusion of the academic school year.  Jay Strickland, president of local IT company WingSwept, attended the reception on May 5 with many others in paying tribute to the 24 years of service Carol Miller contributed to the university.

As a NC State alumnus, Jay was heavily influenced and owes much of his career direction and success to the computer science instructor.  Carol Miller is the reason that Jay switched his college major to Computer Science and focused on web programming.

“WingSwept was created based on my passion for web programming, which I developed through my education in the Department of Computer Science,” says Jay Strickland.  “Teachers like Carol Miller are the reason students are able to make their passion a career.  I am grateful to be one of those students.”

The two years that the instructor worked with Jay had an almost immediate effect on the undergraduate.  Jay started consulting in 1995 while still attending NC State.  Fourteen years later, WingSwept has grown far beyond its foundations, but Jay will never forget its roots.  

Carol Miller has made similar impacts on many pupils by being dedicated to bettering them while always remaining someone who they could relate to.  Although her lecturing days are behind her, her legacy will never be forgotten.  It will continue on through her many colleagues and thousands of students that she has influenced since 1985.

“My teaching philosophy always was to be a guide to students, allowing them to explore the possibilities, rather than to force knowledge upon them.  As an educator, my role extended outside of the classroom, which was when I got to know students like Jay,” says Carol Miller.  “Teaching always gave me great satisfaction, and to hear about lives I have touched is exceptionally rewarding.”

In efforts to support the university and honor Carol’s legacy, Jay has started the Carol Miller Leadership Endowment and has made a $25,000 pledge to his fellow alumni.  He will match each donation until the first $25,000 in order to help secure a $50,000 endowment.  The endowment will help students have access to resources, through programs and organizations, necessary for their unique development and promising future.  

ABOUT WINGSWEPT

WingSwept consists of two companies that provide full-service information technology consulting focused on interactive media and essential technology systems. WingSwept Communications and WingSwept Technologies currently have offices in North Carolina and Virginia. Their staff of more than 20 serves a diverse set of clients in all 50 states and around the world. WingSwept's services focus on the areas of government services, network support, web application development and vertical marketing. The companies maintain separate divisions with dedicated staff for Web/database development and information technology consulting.

Headquartered in Garner, N.C., WingSwept Communications was established in 2000, followed by the incorporation of WingSwept Technologies in 2002 by its president, Jay Strickland, who has been in the technology consulting field since 1995. For more information on WingSwept's services, please visit our Web site at www.wingswept.com.