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September 28, 1998
By Tim Stephens
A new major offered by UCSC will produce graduates with a combination of business, technical, and communications skills. The information systems management (ISM) major was created to meet the increasing demand for professionals who not only understand information technology but also know how to apply it to meet the specific needs of a business.
The ISM major will begin admitting students in the fall quarter of this academic year. The new major was jointly developed by the Computer Science and Economics Departments.
"The ISM major represents an important collaborative effort between departments in the Social Sciences and the Jack Baskin School of Engineering," said Marc Mangel, associate vice chancellor for planning and programs.
The program will be administered by the Computer Science Department, but it will involve courses and faculty in the Economics Department, as well.
"The ISM major combines computer science with business management and economics courses. It will be a rigorous, challenging major for students who want to pursue a career of solving business problems through the use of information technology," said Jack Callon, director of new program development in the Jack Baskin School of Engineering.
The recommendations of industry representatives played a prominent role in designing the new major.
"The creation of the ISM major is a direct response to the needs of Silicon Valley companies," said Patrick Mantey, dean of the School of Engineering.
Douglas Michels, CEO of the Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), the leading provider of Unix server operating systems, strongly endorsed the ISM program.
"There is increasing demand for trained professionals who not only understand the latest computing technologies, but can apply them to address business needs," said Michels, a UCSC graduate in computer science. "I know that both SCO and our customers would be very interested in hiring graduates with this kind of an education."
ISM professionals must possess a solid mix of business and technical knowledge to develop information systems that address the needs of an organization, Callon said. The range of possible career opportunities for ISM graduates spans the entire spectrum of design, implementation, and support of computer-based applications.
Diane Le, information technology manager at Hewlett-Packard, said her company is very interested in workers who possess both computer and business training. Trends in the industry require people who can work directly with users to understand how computer technology can address business needs.
Details regarding the new ISM major are available through the School of Engineering Web page.