June 18, 2001
University Park, Pa.—Picture a Pennsylvania attuned to the digital age, one that makes better use of taxpayer dollars, provides better constituent service, and is—in the phrase of the Commonwealth’s chief executive—“friction free.”  That’s the goal of a series of seminars being delivered in Harrisburg by Penn State’s School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), Microsoft Corporation, and Penn State Harrisburg.

With support from the state offices of Administration and Information Technology, Penn State and Microsoft have created a program to meet the individual needs of government professionals as they prepare for the new opportunities afforded by the digital revolution—opportunities that ultimately benefit the state’s citizens.  Tracks are specifically designed for executives, project managers, and IT developers.  Successful completion of the program, held in Penn State’s Eastgate Center, 1010 N. Seventh St., Harrisburg, earns the participant a Penn State “e-Government Specialist” certificate.

“The Commonwealth is moving aggressively to capitalize on the speed and process efficiency information technologies can provide,” said Dr. James B. Thomas, dean of IST.  “Our goal is to help provide the educational resources necessary to make that happen.”

Elaborating on a key benefit for executive-level participants, Thomas explained, “A new perspective—call it `e-lignment’—is required when leaders plan strategically for information technology in government. Increased computerization significantly impacts the way people work and there are numerous specific policy, legal, and regulatory issues to be considered as well. This program is meant to help participants build those new perspectives.”

Said Charles F. Gerhards, the Commonwealth’s chief information officer, “This program is an important component among the various initiatives being undertaken by Governor Ridge to make the Commonwealth a force in the emerging digital economy.  As state government capitalizes on the power of technology, the resulting transformation of our business processes will benefit all Pennsylvanians.”

Dean Thomas is helping to conduct the seminar series along with these IST-affiliated experts: Cole Camplese, director of education and training solutions; Dr. Shawn Clark, director of business solutions and assistant professor of information sciences and technology; Dr. Lee Giles, holder of the David Reese Professorship in IST; Jan Mahar, assistant director of business solutions; and Dr. Steve Sawyer, associate professor of information sciences and technology, and associate professor of management science and information systems.  Working with the IST team is Dr. John Bagby, professor of business law with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business Administration, and Steve Wyant, an adjunct faculty member at Penn State Harrisburg.  

Rounding out the executive track are sessions on “Program Management in e-Government,” and “Critical Business Issues and Transformation to e-Government.”  The project manager track features “Project Management in e-Government,” and “Rapid Economic Justification.”  The IT developer track includes “Solutions Framework: Principles of Application Development,” “Solutions Framework:  Principles of Component Design,” and “Introduction to XML.”

The program was piloted last fall by Microsoft and IST, with 40 government executives and employees attending.  This spring, sessions and new topics have been added to the program and 168 participants have been enrolled.    

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For further information, contact Charles C. DuBois, (814) 865-4458 or news@ist.psu.edu