Professional Advisory
Your Invitation
Would your company like to become one of the charter members of the Computer Science Professional Advisory Board (CSPAB) at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)? As a CSPAB member and a major presence in the worldwide market for computing services, you will have considerable impact on this largest and vital department in the School of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science.
Our students learn a great deal about always checking with the customer for the software they are developing (fulfilling a real need for a high-quality product delivered on time and within budget). Therefore, I feel it makes good sense for us, as a department, to check with our customers to see what we are doing right, and what may require some changes.
The new CSPAB at IPFW would be modeled, initially,
after other successful advisory boards. For example, I have developed
and followed through with such boards in both Kentucky and Michigan.
At the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-D), such a board was
initiated in April, 1995, and continues today. Please take a look
at the following website to review the current membership and
activities: http://www.engin.umd.umich.edu/CIS/cispab.html.
One of the attachments is a letter of recommendation from a former
UM-D PAB member, who also will be a charter member of the CSPAB
at IPFW. The board was developed for the following purpose:
“ The Department continually seeks outside interactions
with business, industries, and government through its Professional
Advisory Board. The PAB is composed of senior computing technologists
who provide input on curriculum, potential employment for students,
research opportunities for faculty, and a perspective on future
challenges requiring collaboration.”
As the Associate Chair of the Department of Computer Science, I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or a senior technical staff member at Raytheon Systems concerned with computing and possible university liaisons in the next month or so to discuss this opportunity.
The role of the CSPAB at IPFW is envisioned as being
a collaborative one, in which you would help point out what we
are doing correctly and what should be changed, perhaps recommending
solutions. Some of the areas include those that I had formulated
when I was the first Director of Corporate Education at Texas
Instruments (1980-83) and was on “your” side of the
fence trying to become involved with universities. These areas
appear on an attachment labeled the “Great Pumpkin of Joint
Industry/Education Endeavors: -- you can tell what time of year
we were meeting! Here are some possible areas for your consideration:
• A vision for industry/departmental collaboration by 2005
• Effective recruiting strategies for graduates
• Role of coop and internship programs
• Possibility of distance learning opportunities for your
employees
• Curricular changes to reflect near and long-term needs
of industry and government
• Potential faculty research collaboration with you
• Providing opportunities for CS students and faculty to
learn about you
• Concerns about communication skills of CS graduates
• YOUR concerns!
The Professional Advisory Board would meet four times a year for a three-hour discussion and review at member sites on a rotating basis. The first meeting will occur early this fall, probably the last week of September at an industry site.
By now, you may be wondering about the type of department with which you could become affiliated. The department had 325 undergraduate and 42 graduate majors in the Fall of 2002. Nearly 1200 students were enrolled in CS courses. We have produced over 1250 graduates in the last 36 years (degree-first year awarded): AS-1967, BS-1973 and M.S.-2000. The various tables demonstrate some of the employers and job titles for our graduates, as well as maps of where they currently live, within Indiana and throughout the world. We also have a very active co-op program, with over 110 placements in the last five years at 12 locations. The faculty is very dedicated to enabling students to become qualified professionals and active contributors. Several of them have industry experience, as well as vital research interests. I personally have an extensive background in both industry and academia for the last 40 years.
The department is seeking accreditation from the Computing Science Accreditation Board (CSAB) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). My university employers in both Kentucky and Michigan gained such accreditation on our first attempts. Our beta-visitor on May 5th gave us a good report, so we expect a positive response when the full official visiting team comes on campus this fall. We would like for you to be part of that visit!
In summary, we would like for you to assist us in becoming truly responsive to the long-term needs of industries and organizations that make sophisticated use of computing resources. You are only too aware of the significant discriminator such expertise provides in this global economy. As a member of the CSPAB, you would have the opportunity to help us become an even more valuable asset to the community, by preparing our A.S., B.S. and M.S. graduates for major contributions during their professional careers.
Please call me, or have your senior technical staff member call, write, or e-mail me to set up a convenient time for me to visit your facility and discuss this potential CSPAB membership opportunity. If you have questions prior to our meeting, I would be delighted to answer them. Dr. Wayne Unsell, Dean of the School of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science, has given his full support to such a board for the CS department.
With warm regards,
Kenneth L. Modesitt, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Chair
Enclosures:
Letter of support from UM-D PAB member,
and prospective IPFW PAB one
Alumni: current employers
and positions
Alumni: maps of current locations in Indiana and the world
CS coop Program: companies, students, brochure
B.S. + M.S. CS brochures
CS Faculty research expertise
“Great pumpkin” of Joint Industry/Education Endeavors
First page of website for PAB at UM-D
December 6, 2001 Powerpoint Presentation for PAB at UM-D
Short biography
260-481-IPFW
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