Department Chair’s Report for the IT Alliance
April 27, 2016

USI now has an updated Strategic Plan. I would like to share with you the main emphases in the plans, as well as a preliminary list of ongoing and planned activities in the CIS and CS disciplines that align with and support the components in the Strategic Plan.

The new USI Strategic Plan focuses on three major areas:

1. Excellence in Learning for the Entire USI Community—to recruit and retain outstanding students, we must be intentional in how faculty, staff and the community continue to learn and develop.

2. Access and Opportunity by Design—intentional design of collaborative and diverse opportunities among students, faculty and staff by generating greater access between our expertise and talents and the organizations with whom we partner.

3. Purposeful and Sustainable Growth—dynamic growth in student enrollment, in full-time faculty, in programs particularly with a focus on graduate education, in reputation and in geographic reach.

The CIS and CS disciplines are already doing a lot toward these three emphases. Based on our Program Reviews, we have plans in place to expand in these three areas. The following is a preliminary list of our activities that relate to the three components in USI’s new Strategic Plan:

  1. Excellence in Learning for the Entire USI Community
  2. Faculty participation in conferences, workshops, and training, at the local, regional, national, and international levels.
  3. Active engagement of faculty as members of professionalorganizations in various capacities--curriculum, training student members, academic program development, research and others.
  4. Faculty and administrator participation at USI in training workshops, seminars, and invited speakers in the classroom.
  5. Faculty and administrator attendance at student project presentations such as the senior project.
  6. Faculty mentoring students for local, national, and international competitions and other activities in the classroom.
  7. Advisory activities with local professional groups such `as the IT Alliance and the Chamber of Commerce
  8. Bringing expertise from the community to the university through the Executive-in-Residence, Alumni/Alumnae-in-Residence, and IT Alliance.
  • Faculty collaboration with Crane Naval Base on the transfer of military technology for civilian use through projects completed in the classroom
  • Department faculty have received Dean’s Teaching, Research, and Service Awards for the second year in a row.
  1. Access and Opportunity by Design
  2. RCOB Board of Advisors involvement and collaboration with administration, faculty, and students, in critiquing and enhancing programs.
  3. IT Alliance group of local CIOs, who serve as advisors for the CIS and CS Programs; mentor and share their expertise with faculty and students during on-site visits to their facilities; and critique presentations of senior projects.
  4. CIS and CS Senior projects-students complete semester-long, real-life projects, in collaboration with local organizations, who meet with students frequently as the projects proceed.
  5. CIS/CS Speaker Panels--Professionals from the community run panel discussions and Q&A sessions regarding career options for students, current industry needs, and keys to successful employment.
  6. Speakers in the Classroom--Faculty invite professionals to share their experience and expertise with students on particular topics covered in their courses.
  7. Faculty facilitation of, and participation in, Startup Weekend, which brings together entrepreneurs from the Tri-State area; creates opportunities for interaction and collaboration among faculty, students, and entrepreneurs; and provides a forum for collaboration and engagement.
  8. Faculty and student involvement in USI Outreach and Engagement activities and projects at the regional and national levels.
  9. Collaboration with Crane Naval Base on the transfer of military technology for civilian use.

3. Purposeful and Sustainable Growth

  • New Online MBA-to increase the access to regional, national, and international students.
  • New concentrations in the MBA Program—Business Analytics and HR
  • Redesigned Entrepreneurship Minor—to give more access to students from Business disciplines and from other colleges.
  • Redesigned CIS Major-aligned with ACM/IS 2015 Curriculum Model and with new trends in strategic and operational use of technology use in organizations.
  • Redesigned CS Program-aligned with ACM Curriculum Model and to reflect current changes in IT.
  • Newly redesigned Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in CIS
  • Collaboration between CIS faculty and College of Health Professions to facilitate student access to Human Resource Minor and courses.
  • Cross-disciplinary Minor in Enterprise Web Development— gives access to students in the College of Liberal Arts (journalism, communications, graphic design) and engages them in more IT-focused projects.
  • Creation of Single Articulation Pathways in collaboration with Indiana 2-year colleges—Ivy Tech, Vincennes University—to facilitate easier student transition to USI
  • Collaboration with Henderson College in the CS and CIS areas to facilitate easier student transition to USI
  • CIS and CS High School Days
  • Creation of a new advising center for the RCOB and purposeful collaboration of administration, faculty, and staff in targeting the advising of students in various majors and levels of class standing to obtain the best results.