News: Bright prospects for IS graduates

In another month, graduates will leave campus to try their new skills and knowledge in a changed business environment. W. P. Carey CIS graduates are finding that this new world needs and values what they learned here, and increasing numbers of prospective students are looking for programs that will bring them up to date.

In another month, graduates will leave campus to try their new skills and knowledge in an evolving business environment. The good news is that W. P. Carey CIS graduates are finding that this new world needs and values what they learned here. At the same time, increasing numbers of prospective students are looking for programs that prepare them for emerging fields in the IT sphere. Read on, because at the closea  privacy expert offers some advice.

Bright Prospects for CIS Graduates

With just a month to go before graduation, word on the street is that Computer Information Systems seniors are getting multiple job offers this spring. InfoWorld recently reported that students entering the workforce with a CIS degree will make $49,000 to start, and at mid-career, these professionals are now earning $84,800. In fact, Kevin Burns, direcor of the W. P. Carey School's undergraduate Business Career Center, says that the W. P. Carey CIS graduates commanded an average starting salary of $56,531 in 2012. Good news like that gets around, and W. P. Carey students majoring in other disciplines are responding. “Our number of dual majors is on a steep rise based on our latest admissions data,” said department Chairman Michael Goul.

Game on! CIS students participate in Avnet Games

On April 13, more than a dozen CIS students will team up to compete at the Avnet Tech Games Arizona Onsite Competition. Our teams are registered to play in five games, including: Build the fastest Computer, ReFurb It Fastest, Patch Panel Madness, Green Video Competition and Green Data Center Madness. In the past, seven teams from the W. P. Carey School have won! This winter, Danielle Clark and Kevin Hemmer won the "Design the Best Window 8 Computer" virtual game. Avnet’s purpose in organizing the games is to give students the opportunity to experience challenges they’ll meet on the job using the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired in the classroom. “The significance of these games and challenges cannot be overstated,” said Assistant Clinical Professor Daniel Mazzola. “Our scholars are placed in a fun and exciting atmosphere where they are given difficult and career broadening experience. They have an opportunity to network with others and expand their reach. They also get to work on a problem that would only otherwise be presented in a work situation. We thank Avnet and all the sponsors for their dedication and investment in our future high tech workforce!”

The buzz: How to leverage the big data boom

Web traffic data is telling us that our new Master of Science in Business Analytics is creating buzz. These potential students are responding to a growing gap between the demand for qualified people and the supply of professionals with the needed knowledge and skills. Forbes recently ran an article about the new degree. Here’s part of what department Chairman Michael Goul said: “This is an opportunity to jumpstart a career in leveraging data and computer models to solve complex business problems, evaluate scenarios, predict outcomes and support decision-making. Only about a dozen business-analytics programs like this are available in the United States.”

 DISC elects new officers

Last month we introduced you to the leadership team at DISC, our Department of Information Systems Club. These students leaders coordinate many of the opportunities available to CIS students to learn about jobs and companies, polish their professional demeaner and participate in service projects. The new leadership team is as follows:

• Diego Ortiz-Monasterio - President
• Christopher Slater - V.P. of Finance
• Erica Bianco Ellis- V.P. of Corporate Relations
• Victoria Polchinski - V.P. of Membership
• Syed Ali Bilgrami - V.P. of Instruction
• Omar Macias - V.P. of Community Service
• Ethan Selin - V.P. of Information Technology

In the news: Your digital image

  Marilyn Prosch focuses her research on privacy in this digital world of ours. In this story in Smart Company, she quotes a statistic that should give young professionals pause. About half of all employers regularly check their employees’ social media profiles.