Capitol’s new president calls for career-focused education

Capitol Technology University’s new president, Dr. Bradford L Sims, is emphasizing the need for “a solid education that enables students of all ages to obtain a great career and take care of themselves and their families.”

Speaking at his formal investiture ceremony on Friday (April 20), Sims outlined plans for new programs and approaches to learning, but said Capitol would remain true to its mission of providing practical, industry-aligned education in engineering, computer and information sciences, technology, and business.

“Education as a sector has changed dramatically over the last decade, and will continue to change,” Sims said. “Fewer students pursue education purely for the joy of learning or the promise of transformation of thinking. Many more students seek a direct connection between their learning and their career objectives. Capitol Tech is well-situated to meet the goals of both today’s students and today’s industry.”

Sims drew attention to new programs being offered at Capitol at both the undergraduate and graduate level in fields that include business analytics, cyber analytics, and unmanned and autonomous systems.

He also said the university plans to expand its range of learning modalities to include asynchronous platforms, which he said would improve accessibility for working professionals, active-duty service members, and non-traditional students.

“Expanding Capitol Tech’s online learning by offering rigorous and engaging content in an asynchronous format will provide opportunity to those who cannot access the traditional model of learning,” Sims said. “Asynchronous learning will make degrees more available to our active military, working adults, and young people with career and family responsibilities that make a campus education inaccessible to them.”

Sims is the eighth president of Capitol. An educator, administrator and construction engineer, Dr. Sims has extensive experience both in academia and industry. He previously served as interim chancellor and chief academic officer at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide campus.

His presidency was officially inaugurated on Friday during a formal ceremony, in which he received the presidential robes from Board of Trustees Chairman Harvey Weiss. Speakers at the event included Board of Trustees Chairman- Elect Haden Land, professor and provost emeritus Jack Maynard of the University of Indiana, Capitol professor Sandy Antunes, student Kae’Lyn Alexander, and alumnus Herman Felder. The university seal was presented to Dr. Sims by John Dettra, a Board of Trustees member and Capitol alumnus.

 University relics presented to Dr. Sims during the ceremony included a rendering of Han Solo frozen in carbonite, a photograph of the CREI class of 1942, and the pen used to sign the bill funding Capitol’s current campus in Laurel, MD.