Trustees Receive An Update On IST Accomplishments

January 17, 2003
University Park, Pa. – More than 2,600 majors enrolled at 19 campuses, 110-plus faculty, and associate, baccalaureate and Ph.D. programs – these are the milestones reached by the School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) since first opening its doors in August 1999.

In an information report to the Board of Trustees today (Jan. 17), James B. Thomas, IST dean, outlined the school's success in delivering on its mission to prepare a generation of leaders who will excel in the global, digital economy.

"These are students who will graduate not only with a strong set of technology skills, but also with an understanding of how to make a difference with technology whether it's to a company's bottom line, a government's service to its citizens or to those who need help from not-for-profit organizations," Thomas said.

Of the current students, about 740 students or 28 percent are enrolled at University Park, including 23 PhD students involved in pioneering research. Faculty numbers also have grown to more than 110 with one-quarter of those at University Park.

In its first three years, IST has increased its research dollars to more than $11 million, Thomas said, with IST's world-class community of researchers attracting significant public and private funding. Sponsors of that research include the National Science Foundation, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and NASA as well as private partners such as Lockheed Martin Corp., Unisys Corp., and the Ford Motor Company.

IST faculty have a broad research agenda with expertise in human computer interaction, data mining and information retrieval, intelligent systems and the social and behavioral aspects of information technology, Thomas said.

"Results of our faculty's research will impact virtually every aspect of our society from how computers are used for searching, retrieving and interacting with information to how best to improve minorities' and women's participation in the information society," Thomas said. "Ongoing work in computer-aided cognition may help solve the problems of homeland defense and the design of complex systems such as the next generation of nuclear-powered plants or commercial aircraft."

This spring, IST will graduate more than 500 students, and already 63 percent of those graduates-to-be have full-time jobs with average salaries of $50,000 or are off to graduate school, Thomas said. Many IST students have found employment in Pennsylvania businesses and organizations where as interns, they tackled real-world IT projects.

Along with potential new hires, IST continues to provide Pennsylvania businesses and organizations with education and training through the IST Solutions Institute. This summer, the school will again host the Governor's School for Information Technology that draws talented high school students from across the commonwealth for five weeks of intense study to University Park.

With Trustees' approval in the spring, a Master of Science degree in IST will be offered in fall 2003. In the works is a Professional Masters degree aimed at executives in industry and government.

As part of its service mandate, IST is organizing the Pennsylvania Leadership Summit, a two-day event scheduled for early May that will bring together state leaders in government, industry and education to discuss the role of information technology in transforming and strengthening Pennsylvania's digital economy.

"The summit will facilitate an intense dialogue around information technology, the impact it has on the citizens of Pennsylvania and the information strategies needed to craft the future of the commonwealth," Thomas said.

*mah*

Contact: Margaret Hopkins, IST, at 814-865-7888 or email at mhopkins@ist.psu.edu