date: february 24, 2014 - university of maine system february 24, 2014 to: andrew anderson, ... the...

Date: February 24, 2014

To: Andrew Anderson, Dean College of Science, Technology & Health

From: John Zaner, Chair Department of Technology

Re: Response to external reviewers for the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Dr. Anderson, The following are the concerns identified by the individuals who prepared external reviews on the proposed Bachelor of Science in Information Technology with the Department response. Review # 1 – Feb 6 Reviewer's concern:

"Perhaps my only concern about this proposal is its heavy reliance on courses from other departments to fulfill technical requirements of the IT degree. While some usage of non-IT technical courses is common among degree programs, there is a danger that students might not enter the workforce with sufficient applied computing abilities required of an IT graduate. Other computing disciplines certainly share a common terminology with IT, but often their courses do not focus enough on the application, selection, integration, or security of technology. Computer science courses are sometimes too theoretical rather than applied, information systems courses too focused on business value rather than technology or security."

Response:

We share this concern and have discussed it. We expect that as the program develops, specific IT versions of some courses will be developed.

Review #2 – Feb 2014 Reviewer's concern:

"Section C (page 9) shows a selected list of outcomes, labeled, “Specific Student Outcomes”. These student learning outcomes are drawn from those published for the ABET accreditation criteria (included in Appendix 1 of the proposal). Since these outcomes are directly quoted from the criteria for four year IT degrees they are obviously suitable for the proposed degree program. However only 7 of the 14 outcomes are listed. It is not clear from the document if it is the intent of the proposal to focus on those outcomes exclusively, to particularly emphasize those outcomes, or if there was some other rationale for only listing the selected seven. While there is no ABET requirement that the institution must adopt the any of the specific ABET listed outcomes as their own, there is an expectation that the institution must enable the attainment of all fourteen of the outcomes listed in the criteria, and thus the fact that the proposal directly lists only seven of the ABET outcomes implies that the program may not Address the other seven. This may become an issue at the time the program applies for a bit accreditation."

Response:

It is the intent of the proposed program to address all fourteen of the ABET learning outcomes. The purpose of the selection shown in section C of the proposal was to streamline reading and focus on learning outcomes that were very relevant to an IT program. The proposal erred in omitting these selection criteria.

Reviewer's concern:

"One of the required aspects of an IT degree that was not apparent in this list is learning experiences in HCI (aka User Experience) and related concepts. One course is entitled, “Graphical User Interface Design” which may be relevant but does not (from the title) encompass the scope of HCI. "

Response:

We have discussed the HCI concerns and anticipate implementing a user experience (UE) course that will cover both interface design and human computer interactions.

Reviewer's concern:

"One course lists “Data Representation and Management”. This appears to be the only course that explicitly addresses the areas of database design and implementation, and thus directly addresses the area of databases in the five pillars."

Response:

The program also requires a Management Information Systems course (ITT 250) that addresses database design and provides data management as well as in depth spreadsheet instruction and activities.

Reviewer's concern:

"A minor item of concern is that the supporting faculty members come from four different departments. Clearly the hosting Department of Technology will have to coordinate between these departments to ensure the course offerings are coordinated with student needs. The proposal to have some faculty focus in this area (under the discussion of new faculty) is probably necessary to provide the necessary focused leadership to ensure the integrity and growth of the program."

Response:

The list of supporting faculty goes beyond those who will be delivering courses in the “major” they include math faculty who will deliver the math courses required for the degree and business faculty who could deliver management information systems and database courses if needed.

We do however share the concern for close coordination between departments.

Reviewer's concern:

"It was not specifically stated that students will need to have unusual levels of access to the (virtual) servers and computers they use. IT students need to develop the skills necessary to administer servers and work at a low levels on computer systems (EG operating system or network configuration). This requires a different kind of access than is normally provided within university student computer labs. With the institution’s background in Computer Science and Technology listed in the proposal it is probable that this level of access is within the scope of the existing laboratory system, however it was not mentioned in the proposal specifically and is worth emphasizing in laboratory planning."

Response:

The John Mitchell Center Networking and Computer Hardware Laboratory includes dedicated, rack-mounted Dell servers and Intel Workstations that are available for virtual machine (VM) and single or multiple operating systems experimentation. Cisco switches, firewalls, and routers are available as well as multiple distribution blocks and overhead cable trays for wire and cable management. This lab does not connect to the University of Maine system network for security purposes. Students can install and configure server operating systems. Network configurations are designed using Microsoft Visio and implemented in the laboratory based on the course assignments. All configuration aspects of this laboratory from building machines (from the component level) through making cables, configuring routers and switches to setting up firewall rule sets is done by students.

Proposal for a Baccalaureate Degree in

Information Technology

September 5, 2013 30, 2013

Proposal: B.S. in Information Technology – 9/13/2013 University of Southern Maine page 2 of 42

Date: August 30, 2013

To: Dean Andrew Anderson & Provost Michael Stevenson

From: John Zaner, Chairman, Dept. of Technology

Re: Bachelor of Information Technology Proposal

Attachments: Proposal for a Bachelor of Information Technology degree

On Friday August 30, the Department of Technology faculty unanimously approved the attached proposal to create a Bachelors of Information Technology degree at the University. There was considerable discussion, which will continue, about the proposed curriculum which was accepted as a close representative model of the final curriculum, but which still requires minor revisions. The motion that passed was:

“To approve the proposed plan BSIT degree program with the understanding that some details of the degree (four year and 2+2 versions) as proposed may change as it is refined and that curriculum models for CMCC and SMCC similar to the YCCC model are yet to be developed and will be presented to the Department of Technology for approval.”

Because the proposal was developed by a committee representing the departments of Technology and Computer Science at USM and three community colleges, the curriculum model came to the Department of Technology faculty relatively late in the process and more time is needed for revisions which, if any, are expected to be minor. Also, because of other factors such as the “work to rule” efforts by the community colleges and time factors, the 2+2 models for Southern Maine Community College and Central Maine Community College are yet to be developed. Those models are expected to be similar to the model in the proposal for York County Community College but will reflect the unique curriculums of those schools.

The Department faculty feels that the BSIT degree is an important degree for the University and that the Department of Technology is its "best fit" home because of the Department's long history of aligning with the community colleges through its Technology Management and Applied Technical Leadership degrees and because of its existing information technology courses.

Dean Anderson attended the faculty meeting for a short time and assured the faculty that even though the proposal needed to be considered and advanced at this time to maintain the approval timeline, there would be opportunity for the faculty to make any curriculum and other revisions before the proposal was formally considered by the Faculty Senate and beyond.


Executive Summary

Information technology as an educational discipline is the study of specifying, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining computer-based information systems. This document proposes a program leading to a baccalaureate degree in Information Technology to be offered by USM. It proposes a 2+2 program closely coordinated with three area community colleges and a 4-year option based mostly on existing USM courses. The three partner community colleges are Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), York County Community College (YCCC) and Central Maine Community College (CMCC).

The goals of the program are to prepare people to fill a gap in the workforce of Maine’s IT cluster and to provide a smooth, articulated path from Maine’s community college system to an accredited Bachelors degree from USM. This is a practice-oriented program with opportunities for internships and a significant capstone project. The program has been designed based on the Association for Computing Machinery/Electrical and Electronics Engineers (ACM/IEEE) 2008 IT Guidelines (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008). It is being designed to eventually be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), as have been 21 other similar programs in the U.S.

Graduates from the program will fill an important gap in Maine’s IT workforce, significantly improving the statewide prospect for excellence in the computer-based delivery of services and information. Local industry and state government are asking for this program.

Almost all of the topics covered in this program have been or are already being taught at USM, SMCC, YCCC and CMCC by existing faculty. The initial requirement for new resources is very modest. Accordingly, the financial analysis is strongly positive.


Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 3

I. Program information ............................................................................................................................... 5

II. Program objectives ................................................................................................................................ 5

A. Program rationale .............................................................................................................................. 5

B. General program goals ...................................................................................................................... 8

C. Specific student outcomes ................................................................................................................. 9

III. Documented evidence of Need ............................................................................................................ 9

A. Existence of educational, economic and social needs ....................................................................... 9

B. Employer needs ............................................................................................................................... 10

C. Detailed survey of similar programs ................................................................................................ 11

D. Enrollment Projections .................................................................................................................... 13

IV. Program content .....................................................................................................................................

A. Outline of required and elective courses ......................................................................................... 14

Course requirements ........................................................................................................................... 14

Electives .............................................................................................................................................. 15

B. Development of new courses ........................................................................................................... 17

C. Research activity .............................................................................................................................. 18

D. Nature of field practicums ............................................................................................................... 18

E. Impact on existing programs ........................................................................................................... 18

V. Program resources ............................................................................................................................... 19

A. Personnel ......................................................................................................................................... 19

B. Current library acquisitions ............................................................................................................. 22

C. New equipment ................................................................................................................................ 22

D. Additional space requirements ........................................................................................................ 22

E. Cooperation with other programs .................................................................................................... 22

VI. Total financial consideration .............................................................................................................. 24

A. Five-year estimates of cost and income ........................................................................................... 25

V. Program evaluation .............................................................................................................................. 28

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 30

Appendix 1. Student outcomes ................................................................................................................... 31

Appendix 2. Courses, 2+2 and 4-year programs ......................................................................................... 32

Appendix 3. Frequently-asked Questions ................................................................................................... 35

Appendix 4. The IT MOU and Curriculum Teams ..................................................................................... 38


I. Program information

Title: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Location: Department of Technology, College of Science, Technology and Health at the University of Southern Maine

Type: 2+2 yr. articulated with Maine’s Community College System with associated 4-yr. option available

Degrees: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Area: Technology, Computer Science

CIP Codes: 11.09, 11.10

Persons responsible for planning:

!"#$%!Dr. Glenn Wilson, Project leader, Associate Research Professor"!Director of Information and Innovation, College of Science, Technology and Health

Address: John Mitchell Center, Gorham, ME 04038

Telephone: 207-780-5619

Email: [email protected]

Name: Dr. David Bantz, Computer Science Department, College of Science, Technology and Health

Address: 232 Science, Portland ME 04104

Telephone: 207-749-8234 cell


Name: Dr. John Zaner, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Technology, College of Science, Technology and Health

Address: 213 John Mitchell Center, Gorham, ME 04038

Telephone: 207-780-5440


!"#$%!Dr. David Briggs, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Computer Science, !College of Science, Technology and Health

Address: 220 Science, Portland, ME 04104

Telephone: 207-780-4723


II. Program objectives

A. Program rationale

What is Information Technology? The term “Information Technology” has at least two meanings: the common use of the term refers broadly to the use of computer technology to store, retrieve, process and manage information. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’


Figure 1. IT, IS, CS and SE domains (ACM, AIS, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2005)

define the term as being: the professional domain of those who create and manage the computer-based services to or for an organization.

In the Overview Report on Computing Curricula (ACM, AIS, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2005) five major computing disciplines are identified. These are listed below, and the ones related to this degree are illustrated in the diagrams above.

• Computer Engineering – designing and constructing computers and computer-based systems

• Computer Science (CS) – designing and implementing software and developing effective ways to solve computing problems

• Software Engineering (SE) – developing and maintaining software systems

• Information Systems (IS) – integrating information-processing solutions with business processes

• Information Technology (IT) – selecting hardware and software products appropriate for an organization, integrating those products with organizational needs and infrastructure, and installing, customizing and maintaining those systems for the organization’s computer users.


These are not exclusive domains but the primary areas of emphasis are different. Computer Science and Information Systems are both distinct from Information Technology’s emphasis on constructing operational systems through integration of primarily existing components. Another view of four of the domains -- from the same document – is shown above. Note the complementary nature of their domains, especially with respect to the theoretical/applied axis. CS focuses more on theory and tools development, while IT focuses more on applications and operation. IS focuses more on the interaction between organizational concerns and computer-based systems. CE focuses more on the infrastructure of computer-based systems. IS is included here because the CIS program at the University of Maine Augusta was inspired by that curriculum.

In the distant past, when the primary focus of computer professionals was to automate existing business processes using batch processing, the heaviest burden of service development fell on software development. Operations policies and procedures were ad hoc. Multistep processing was implemented with proprietary solutions1. This has changed dramatically with the current emphasis on business-to-consumer fully-integrated real-time systems2 with increasingly stringent requirements for uptime, security and the ability to evolve quickly to meet competitive pressures. Two relatively new developments have transformed the practice of creating and delivering new services: widespread availability of mature software components from which to assemble systems, and standards that represent best practices.

Perhaps the most dramatic shift in creating computer-based services has come from the widespread availability of highly refined and mature software systems and components, both for infrastructure (e.g., operating systems) and applications (e.g., mapping). Some of these have come from the commercial software industry, but in recent years open-source3 projects have produced outcomes that have rivaled and in some cases surpassed those of commercial software. At the same time, these open-source systems and components have dramatically lowered acquisition cost, broadening the user base. Today, an extremely common infrastructure for service provision is the so-called LAMP stack: Linux (the operating system), Apache (the Web server), MySQL (the database) and PHP (the programming language), all of which are open-source and free. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2)), a hosting provider, rents entry-level virtual systems with a LAMP stack for 6 cents an hour, eliminating the need for many companies to expend capital for computer hardware and software, data centers and networking gear and eliminating expense money for power, cooling and infrastructure maintenance.

Another dramatic shift in creating computer-based services has come from the widespread adoption of standards, representing best practices. The most influential standards for the design and operation of systems for the delivery of services are the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), originated in the U.K. This extensive body of standards and its accompanying certifications has been widely adopted in U.S. practice. As well as its imposition of auditable practices, ITIL has legitimized an approach to service provision in which the policies and procedures that control how services are delivered become assets in themselves, created and managed using tools whose goals are similar to those used for service provision.

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B. General program goals

In 2010, a major initiative was started by a group of area company executives with the goal of substantially increasing the number of computer science and information technology graduates from the University of Maine System. The initiative, now referred to as Project Login4, seeks to improve the “pipeline” of students to computer science and information technology careers with an effort that is designed to engage middle school, high school, community college, and university students.

One of the major outcomes of Project Login was the work of a steering committee comprised of employers and University representatives. That group created a list of over 25 recommendations to address the goals of the project. One of recommendations is to expand CS-IT degree offerings to provide a broader selection that addresses employer needs. Another is to improve coordination between UMS and the Maine community colleges to facilitate a smoother transition among programs. This work was complimented by a joint committee comprised of faculty from the University of Southern Maine and representatives from Central Maine Community College, Southern Maine Community College and York County Community College5. After reviewing existing CS and IT programs at each of the institutions, the committee formed a curriculum development team5 that recommended that a new information technology program be developed at the University of Southern Maine using the ACM curriculum for IT (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008). This program would more easily articulate with programs in the community colleges. It was determined that much of the content of such a program already existed at the university but was not structured in a manner that provided an easy transition.

The goals of this proposal are twofold:

1. To fill a gap in the computer-related workforce in Maine. 2. To provide a clear, articulated, affordable path from Maine’s community colleges to a Bachelors

degree from USM.

Attainment of these goals contribute directly to the current Project Login initiative to double the number of computer science and information technology professionals graduating from the University of Maine system by 2017.

The mission of the proposed Information Technology degree is to educate students in operational excellence – the techniques, technologies and best practices they will need to build computer-based information systems that efficiently and effectively satisfy the needs of an organization. These systems must be secure, scalable, survivable, maintainable and evolvable, and must adhere to relevant industry, government and sponsor standards. The future of commerce and governance in Maine (and elsewhere) depends on such systems.

This proposal recognizes that there are somewhat similar programs in the University of Maine system and in the Maine community college system, but they are not connected and coordinated and they do not focus on the content of this degree. A curriculum development team of USM and CC educators has identified a widely accepted standard upon which to base the degree (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008) and

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has found that with some adaptation, existing courses currently being taught at USM, YCCC, CMCC and SMCC will fit this curriculum model well.

The degree will reside within the Department of Technology in the College of Science, Technology and Health (CSTH), with faculty located in the departments where they have expertise, e.g., primarily Technology and Computer Science. Faculty members in the School of Business (Management Information Systems) are currently teaching courses relevant to the program as well. Faculty (including part-time faculty) affiliated with the program, led by a program coordinator, will be responsible for communication and advising, refining the curriculum, establishing critical linkages within and outside the University, and completing the steps needed to put the program in motion, including teaching all required courses. Any new USM faculty resulting from growth of the program would have appointments in existing USM departments.

The proposed program places emphasis on both internships with local industry and capstone projects with industry or nonprofit organizations (service learning). Degree credit will be given for such internships and the capstone. The program structure proposes the development of application concentrations within the degree in such areas as health, education, e-commerce, cyber-security, manufacturing, the environment, and others. As an example, the health concentration will permit students to gain expertise in the unique challenges presented by medical records management (e.g., privacy standards).

This program will serve as a model for cooperation with Maine’s community colleges and with local industry, government and nonprofit organizations.

C. Specific student outcomes The following are several learning outcomes, selected from a complete list in Appendix 1.

a. An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline.

b. An ability to analyze a problem and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution.

c. An ability to design, implement and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component or program to meet desired needs.

e. An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities.

j. An ability to use and apply current technical concepts and practices in the core information technologies.

k. An ability to identify and analyze user needs and take them into account in the selection, creation, evaluation and administration of computer-based systems.

m. An understanding of best practices and standards and their application.

III. Documented Evidence of Need

A. Existence of educational, economic and social needs

Data from PolicyOne Research (PolicyOne Research Inc., 2010) estimates that Maine’s Information Technology (this is a broad definition) sector accounts for 26,155 jobs, $1,193,261,000 in earnings and $3,572,975,000 in sales, growing at 2.6% per year. Of this, Computer systems design and related services,


the category most closely related to the proposed program, is needed in 981 establishments with 5,436 jobs, $305,757,000 in earnings and $422,642,000 in sales.

Project>Login cites the National Center for Women and Information Technology’s analysis6 of U.S. Department of Labor data, indicating that between 2008 and 2018, 1.4 million computing jobs will have opened in the U.S. In Maine, only 39% of these new jobs could be filled by the projected number of the state’s computing related degree-earners. Current open computer and information technology jobs in Maine total 806 (Dorrer, 2012) of which more than 152 would be opportunities for graduates of the proposed program.

An analysis of Maine’s IT workforce employer needs and education resources done for the Maine State Department of Labor (Bantz, Paradis, & Wilson, 2011) shows that among the top ten skills in demand, seven are targets of the proposed program. Of these, four had an inadequate supply of Maine workers. IBM’s projections for skill needs through 2014 listed eight areas of skill need; the proposed program will teach skills that make up the majority of six of those skill areas.

B. Employer needs As a part of the activities of the joint USM-CC curriculum development team, discussions were held with local employers, including Systems Engineering (SE), the largest IT consulting firm North of Boston. Systems Engineering’s Director of Engineering, Bob Leslie, reviewed the ACM curriculum and noted that

• Most of the coursework was either of high or intermediate interest to SE • SE had a very strong interest in an internship-based capstone project • Professional communication, teamwork, intellectual property, legal issues, professional/ethical

issues, privacy and civil liberties components of the program were of especially high interest.

In an interview with Fred Robinson, Senior Manager of Information Systems at L.L. Bean, he said that the proposed program was “…a really good match…” to his needs. He commended the program’s emphasis on interpersonal and communication skills, security, and an emphasis on assembly and operation. Virtualization is widely deployed in his area of concern. In the next five years, he anticipates a need for about 25 new employees, due to retirements. Fred recruits nationally and it took him 18 months to fill the last position he had open.

This proposal includes letters of support from industry leaders, including the Chief Information Officer of the State of Maine.

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C. Detailed survey of similar programs

Table A. below lists programs in the UMaine system with relevance to the proposed program.

Table A. Existing IT-Related Programs in the University of Maine System (Source: www.maine.edu, Feb. 2013)

The University of Maine

Computer Science (AS, BS, minor, MS, PhD) Geographic Information Systems (certificate) New Media (BA) Information Systems (MS, certificate) Spatial Information Science and Engineering (MS, PhD)

University of Maine – Augusta Computer Information Systems (AS, BS, minor, concentration) University of Maine – Farmington Computer Science (BA, minor)

University of Maine – Fort Kent

Computer Applications (BS) Computer Science (AA) Geographic Information Systems (minor, concentration) Information Security (AS, minor, concentration) Web Development (concentration)

University of Maine – Machias Geographic Information Systems (certificate, minor) University of Maine – Presque Isle Management Information Systems (minor)

University of Southern Maine

Technology Management with a concentration in Information and Communication Technology (BS) Computer Science (MS, BS, minor) Information Systems (minor), also at Lewiston-Auburn College Management Information Systems (minor)

Table B. below lists programs in the community college system that can potentially feed into the proposed program at USM. Schools with an asterisk (*) were represented on the curriculum team from which this proposal originated.

Table B. Existing Information Technology-Related Programs in the Maine Community College System (Source: www.mccs.me.edu, Feb. 2013)

Central Maine* Computer Science (A) Computer Technology (A)

Eastern Maine Computer Systems Technology (A) Kennebec Valley Computer Information Systems (A, certificate)

Southern Maine* Communications and New Media (A) Computer Technology (A)

Washington County Geographic Information Systems (A) York County* Computer Technology (A)


Table C. below shows the results of an informal telephone survey of current Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) programs. ABET lists 21 accredited programs in the U.S., including Drexel, George Mason, Rochester Institute of Technology, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. The proposed program will be designed and submitted for ABET accreditation.

Table C. A Sampling of BSIT Programs in other Institutions (Source: Anne Applin (SMCC) original research, Dec. 2012)

School ABET-

accredited? Use ACM

Curriculum? Industry reaction

Grads get jobs?

U. Cincinnati Yes Yes (developed it) Positive 98% in IT Okanagin College

No Partial Positive Yes

Temple University

No Guided Positive Yes

UNH (Durham) Not yet Yes Positive Yes Plymouth State No No Positive Yes Brigham Young Yes Yes (developed it) Positive Yes Purdue

Yes Yes (+ ABET

changes) Positive Yes

Abilene Christian No Guided More demand than

graduates Yes

Kaplan University

New program ? ? New program

Discussion During the process of preparing this program for acceptance by the University of Maine System, questions have arisen concerning its relationship to existing programs, specifically at the University of Maine in Augusta (UMA), and the University of Maine in Fort Kent (UMFK).

A discussion of the proposed program was held at the University of Maine Augusta on May 17, 2013. They had concerns that the proposed program would require significant new course development, and that that course development would possibly duplicate existing courses at UMA. As discussed in “Development of new courses” on page 17, only three new courses may need to be developed (SAM exists already in several community colleges), one of which is a derivative of an existing course. The other two are non-duplicative and directed closely at ACM IT learning outcomes. UMA also stated that their Computer Information Systems (CIS) program was modeled on the ACM IS curriculum guidelines (IS 2002 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems, 2002), not on the IT guidelines, as is the proposed program. Furthermore, the UMA CIS program is not presently designed as a 2+2 program, as is the proposed program.

An analysis of published materials for the UMFK Bachelor of Science with a major in Computer Applications (BSCA) contains the following mission and goals statements:

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the UMFK Computer Applications Program to educate and mentor its students to become responsible, knowledgeable and skilled computer practitioners capable of performing tasks common to the fields of computer science/information science/information technology. The program instills the necessary and fundamental tenets that comprise these fields and fosters good


critical thinking, communication and problem solving skills while ensuring students are cognizant of the ethical dimensions of their actions and impact upon society. Additionally, the program prepares students to further their education at the graduate level and as life-long learners.

Program Description/Goals

The UMFK Computer Applications Program is designed to prepare students to obtain employment in computer technology fields dependent upon their chosen area of concentration or as a course of study leading to graduate studies in computer science, computer information systems, management information systems, geographic information systems or information security.

This mission and these goals are consistent with those of the proposed program. An analysis of the program requirements, including concentrations, leads to the conclusion that it is likely that significant ACM IT learning outcomes are not addressed by the UMFK program. For example, the ACM topic areas of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Integrative Programming (IPT), System Administration and Maintenance (SA) and Math and Statistics for IT (MS) do not appear to be addressed, either in the base program requirements or in any concentration. It seems reasonable to assume that the UMFK program design was not based on the ACM IT guidelines. The program is accredited by International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE) rather than the accreditor for the ACM IT curriculum, ABET. Furthermore, the UMFK BSCA program does not appear to be presently designed as a 2+2 program, as is the proposed program.

D. Enrollment Projections Recruitment of new students to the program will take various forms:

• Project>Login will actively recruit students for the program. Members of Project>Login will publicize the program within their organizations.

• The three Community Colleges will actively encourage students to continue in the program.

• Departmental advisors and Career Counseling will be informed of the new program and its benefits to existing students at USM.

• Marketing materials will be prepared and distributed.

Estimates made by the Community Colleges indicate that approximately 15 students will enter the third year of the 2+2 USM program upon graduation. Some un-quantified number of USM Technology Management, Engineering and Computer Science students will probably transfer in as well (see section E), as well as some nontraditional students, for example current employees who are interested in upgrading their skills and some part-time students. As the program becomes better known and recognized as essential by local industry, this number is expected to reach almost 40 students within 2 years. Note that because the program uses existing courses for the most part, students other than internal transfers will be new students to USM and will add to current course enrollments.

The Dean of Academic Affairs at York County Community College, Paula Gagnon, has noted that there is a pent-up demand for this program among its alumni. These would transfer credits from their associate’s degree into the new degree at USM.


A. Required and elective courses The proposed program has both a 4-year and 2+2 year versions, one each for York County, Southern Maine and Central Maine Community Colleges. All versions share the same objective: excellent coverage of the ACM curriculum (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008) while respecting the course requirements of the various schools. An analysis of candidate USM courses was undertaken as part of the preparation of this proposal, to determine what ACM learning outcomes were covered. The selection of USM courses was governed by this analysis.

Course requirements This section covers course requirements in a generic way. See Appendix 2. Courses, 2+2 and 4-year programs on page 32 for the actual courses needed for the program.

Table 1 below lists the requirements for the USM Core. A careful analysis of these requirements, together with the course offerings at SMCC, YCCC and CMCC done by Susan McWilliams of USM, has revealed that many of these requirements can be satisfied by existing courses at the community colleges.

Core requirement Entry-year experience (waived for transfers-in) College writing Quantitative reasoning Creative expression Cultural interpretation Science exploration Socio-cultural analysis Ethical inquiry Thematic cluster Thematic cluster Thematic cluster Diversity International Capstone

Table 1. USM Core requirements

In addition to satisfying the Core requirements, BSIT students must satisfy requirements imposed by the USM Department of Technology, the host of this program. Those courses are shown in Table 2 below.

USM Course Name Credits ITP 210 Technical Writing 3 ITP 230 Project Management 3 ITP 250 Management Information Systems 3 ITP 350 Teambuilding and Facilitation 3

MAT 108 College Algebra 4 MAT 145 Discrete Mathematics I 3

Table 2. Department of Technology requirements


Table 3 below lists the course areas required for the first two years of the BSIT program generically. Specific courses are not identified because they will differ between the community colleges.

Name ACM Topic Area Introduction to Computers IT Fundamentals Computer Hardware and Operating Systems Platform Technologies Web programming Web Systems and Technologies Programming Programming Fundamentals Computer Networking Networking System Administration and Management <SAM> System Administration and Maintenance Math and Statistics Math and Statistics for IT (note 1) Social and Professional Issues

Table 3. BSIT required courses (generic), years 1-2

The “Name” column lists the name by which many existing programs designate at least one course in a given ACM topic area. Math includes algebra, finite/discrete mathematics and a course in statistics.

Special mention should be made of the ACM topic “Social and Professional Issues.” Some of the learning outcomes in this topic relate to the USM Core requirement for Ethical inquiry, but most are specialized to professional ethics and the impact of technology on society. We anticipate being able to distribute coverage of these learning outcomes among the various other courses. For example, some of these outcomes are covered in ITT 376 Network Security and Ethics; others in ITP 230 Project Management and ITP 350 Teambuilding and Facilitation.

Table 4 below lists the anticipated courses required for the second two years of the BSIT program at USM.

Course Name Credits COS 161 Algorithms in Programming 4 COS 368 Graphical User Interface Design 3 COS 370 Introduction to Security 3 COS 470 Computer Network Security 3 COS 495 Advanced Web Architectures 3 ITT 376 Network Security and Ethics 3 ITT 382 Advanced Web Site Development 3 ITT 460 Capstone 3

COS <IPTC> Integrative Programming 3 COS <IMC> Data Representation and Management 3 ITT <OSS> Operations Senior Seminar 3

Table 4. BSIT required courses, years 3-4

Courses with names in angle brackets < > are new.

Electives Electives fall into two categories: technical electives and application electives.

Technical electives are existing courses that supplement and expand on topics already covered in the program. ITT 440 Related Occupational Experiences/Internships (1-3) is the lone example of a general


technical elective. The rest fall generally into four categories: computer science, technology management, mathematics and business. Examples include:

• Computer science: o COS 250 (3) Computer Organization o COS 251 (1) Computer Organization Laboratory o COS 285 (3) Data Structures o COS 350 (3) Systems Programming o COS 430 (3) Software Engineering

• Technology management o ITP 280 (3) Industrial Organization, Management and Supervision o ITP 381 (3) Human Resource Development

• Mathematics o MAT 152 (4) Calculus A o MAT 153 (4) Calculus B o MAT 380 Probability and Statistics o MAT 383 (3) System Modeling and Simulation o MAT 386 (3) Sampling Techniques

• Business o BUS 345 (3) Information Technology/Management Information Systems o BUS 358 (3) e-Commerce o BUS 377 (3) Visualization

The anticipated application electives are intended to provide the student with background in an area of business or science that requires information technology and imposes special considerations on it. Students must select an application and must take at least nine credits in courses in that area. The required courses in an application area will be determined in consultation with the faculty of that area and are yet to be determined. For illustrative purposes only, some example application areas and courses include:

• Tourism and Hospitality o TAH 101 (3) The Travel Experience: Introduction to Tourism & Hospitality o TAH 301 (3) Global Issues in Travel and Tourism o TAH 211 (3) Tourism Product Development o TAH 221 (3) Tourism and Hospitality Management

• Environmental Science o ESH 101 (3) Fundamentals of Environmental Science o ESH 102 (1) Fundamentals of Environmental Science Lab o ESP 200 (3) Environmental Planning

• Education o EYE 108 (3) Culture, Identity and Education o EDU 200 (3) Education in the United States o EDU 300 Educational Media and Technology

• Health o CON 321/322W (3) Health-Related Research o CON 356 (3) Concepts in Community Health


o RMI 220 (3) Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance

• Government o POS 102 (3) People and Politics o POS 120 (3) Government and Politics of Maine o POS 203 (3) Introduction to Political Science Research

• Entertainment and the Arts o THE 101 (3) Introduction to Theatre o THE 134 (3) Production Management o ART 221 (3) Introduction to Digital Art o ART 323 (3) Web Art: Concepts and Construction

B. Development of new courses Table 5 below lists the course ID, name, source (how the course is to be acquired) and the number of credits for all of the courses that may need to be developed.

Table 5. New courses

The proposed program requires four courses not currently taught at USM. These are:

1. Integrative Programming (IPTC). The focus of IPTC is the integration of applications and systems. It examines various types of programming languages and their appropriate use. It also addresses the use of scripting languages, architectures, application programming interfaces and programming practices to facilitate the management, integration and security of computer systems. This is a new course, but one that draws on existing skills in the CS faculty. Course development costs will be incurred.

2. Data Representation and Management (IMC). The focus of IMC is the collection, organization, modeling, transformation, presentation, safety and security of the data and information accessed and managed by a computer system. This course is derived from COS 457, a more-theoretical course. Limited course development costs will be incurred.

3. System Administration and Management (SAM). The focus of SAM is those skills and concepts that are essential to the administration of operating systems, networks, software, file systems, file servers, web systems and database systems. It includes system documentation, policies and procedures and the education and support of the users of computer systems. This course is acquired by reverse-articulation between USM and a local community college.

4. Operations Senior Seminar (OSS). The focus of OSS is operational excellence in practice. The course will cover such topics as the impact of virtualization on operations, mobile computing operations and management, business continuity, best operational practices including ITIL (H.M. Cabinet Office, 2011), service quality measures, incident preparedness and recovery and major impacts such as mergers and acquisitions. This course will be team-taught by DOT and CS

Course Name Source Credits

COS <IPTC> Integrative Programming Newly developed 3

COS <IMC> Data Representation and Management Derived from COS 457 3

<SAM> System Administration and Management Community College 3

ITT <OSS> Operations Senior Seminar Newly developed 3


faculty and strongly oriented towards guest speakers and field trips. No course development costs will be incurred.

Detailed learning outcomes covered by courses 1-3 are available in (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008).

C. Research activity Information Technology is an area of active research. The emergence of a new academic discipline, Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) parallels the increasing importance of the practice of information technology. A sampling of research areas in SSME includes service quality, service delivery and operations, service business design and strategy, people in services and service innovation management. Approximately half of IBM’s current revenue ($50B) comes from services. SSME has international conferences (e.g., SOLI, the IEEE International Conference on Service Operations and Logistics, and Informatics) and refereed journals (e.g., JoSS, the Journal of Service Science Research). One of the resources available to this program, Dr. David Bantz, has published in the field (Bantz & others, 2007) (Mastrianni, Bantz, & others, 2008) and is a named inventor on several patents in the area.

This proposal includes the possible need for a full-time faculty member in year 3 if the expected increases in enrollments are reached.

The ACM has a special interest group on Information Technology Education (SIGITE). This year, the group’s coupled conferences, the 14th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education and the 2nd Annual Conference on Research in Information Technology, will be held in central Florida in October.

D. Nature of field practicums As befitting the practice-oriented nature of this program, experiences in the field form an important part of the proposed program. Internships, offered through Project>Login and others, are an opportunity for the student to work on real problems under the guidance of an experienced professional. Two existing courses, ITT 440 Related Occupational Experiences/Internships and ITT 441 Advanced Occupational Experiences/Internships, are available to the program. In addition to internships, the capstone ITT 4607 supplies a complete system-building experience encompassing planning, design and deployment. This capstone may be an individual effort or a team effort. An opportunity for service learning with non-profit or government organizations exists in the latter case.

E. Impact on existing programs The primary impact on existing programs at USM is expected to be on Technology Management and Computer Science.

The impact on Technology Management (TM) is expected from students in that program’s Information and Communications concentration who change their major to Information Technology. The change is rooted in the current absence of a BSIT program: some TM students are in that program because it is the only option at USM that leads to a bachelor’s degree that is aligned with their associate degree. The TM degree does not however include the higher level computer related courses some of those students want.

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There is no expectation that this impact will jeopardize TM because it is supported by several other concentrations.

The impact on Computer Science is expected from students in that program who change their major to Information Technology. CS currently experiences a high drop-out rate, some of which may be attributed to a mismatch in styles between students who enjoy building systems and a curriculum that focuses on software development.

Both Technology Management and Computer Science will benefit with increased student enrollment in some of their courses.

V. Program resources

A. Personnel

Technology At present, the Technology department at USM lists four and one half full-time faculty members. From time to time other part-time faculty teach related subjects. Of the full-time faculty, three teach subjects containing topics relevant to the proposed program.

Faculty Carl Blue, Associate Professor, Department of Technology. Professor Blue holds a Ph.D. in Technology Education from North Carolina State University. He has taught numerous courses in Web site development, information and communication technologies, introduction to computers, teambuilding and facilitation, desktop publishing and design and technical graphics.

John Marshall Professor of Technology earned his Ph. D. from Texas A&M University. His areas of expertise include: hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical energy conversion systems; electricity and electrical power generation; programmable logic controllers and process automation; plant layout and material handling; telecommunications and automatic data collection; and industrial distribution. Dr. Marshall is the Internship Coordinator for the Department of Technology.

Glenn Wilson, Associate Research Professor, Department of Technology and Director, Information and Innovation. Professor Wilson holds an Ed.D. degree from Indiana University. He has taught computer hardware, computer networking and network security. Wilson’s appointment is half-time to the Department of Technology.

John Zaner, Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Technology. Professor Zaner holds an Ed.D. degree from Pennsylvania State University. He has taught courses in Website development, technical graphics and computer applications.

Adjuncts Edward Sihler, Adjunct Faculty, Technology. Mr. Sihler has a M.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the University of Iowa. He will be teaching management information systems and has extensive practical experience.


Computer Science At present, the Computer Science department at USM lists six full-time faculty and two adjuncts. From time to time other faculty, some of whom are part-time and some of whom are in other departments, teach subjects such as ethics, communication, statistics and cyber-security. These faculty, the adjuncts and five of the full-time faculty, teach subjects relevant to the proposed program. Only courses with relevant topics are listed.

Faculty David Briggs, Chair and Associate Professor, Computer Science. Professor Briggs holds a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Briggs has taught Java programming, a second course in discrete mathematics, database systems and advanced database systems.

Robert Boothe, Associate Professor, Computer Science. Professor Boothe holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Professor Boothe has taught programming Java.

Clare Bates Congdon, Associate Professor, Computer Science. Professor Congdon holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Professor Congdon has taught programming in Java.

Bruce MacLeod, Associate Professor, Computer Science. Professor MacLeod holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. He has taught programming in Java and software architecture. He has practical experience deploying mobile information systems in Africa in support of women’s health.

Charles Welty, Professor, Computer Science. Professor Welty holds a Ph.D. in Computer and Information Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has taught programming in Java and graphical user interface design.

Adjuncts David Bantz, Adjunct Professor, Computer Science. Professor Bantz holds an Eng.Sc.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University. He has taught computer architecture, programming in Fortran and Java, radio systems, software project management and advanced web architectures and has published in IT research. Professor Bantz is a 38-year veteran of IBM Research, holds 50 patents (some in IT) and has taught at the US Patent Office.

Henry Felch, Adjunct Faculty, Computer Science. He has taught Computer Network Security.

Steven Houser, Adjunct Faculty, Computer Science and Executive Director for Computer Services at the University of Southern Maine. Houser holds an M.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the University of Southern Maine. He has taught operating systems, iOS application programming, autonomous robots and computer networks. He has extensive practical experience in Information Technology.

Charles Largay, Adjunct Faculty, Computer Science. He has taught an Introduction to Computer Security and Advanced Computer Forensics.

Tiffany Rad, Adjunct Faculty, Computer Science. Ms. Rad holds a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law. She has taught professional ethics and social impact of computing.


Mathematics Only faculty teaching courses with relevant topics are listed.

Faculty Mohammed El-Taha, Professor, Mathematics and Statistics. Professor El-Taha holds a Ph.D. degree. He has taught discrete mathematics.

John Brunette, Lecturer, Mathematics. He has taught discrete mathematics and statistics.

Scott Greenleaf, Lecturer, Mathematics. He has taught discrete mathematics and statistics.

Margaret Moore, Lecturer, Mathematics. She has taught Statistics for Business.

School of Business The School of Business lists two full-time faculty members in Management Information Systems. These, and potentially other faculty in the school, teach subjects containing topics relevant to the proposed program.

Faculty Susan Chinn, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, School of Business. Professor Chinn holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Management, Kent State University. She has taught information technology/management information systems, E-Commerce and topics in information systems management.

James Suleiman, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, School of Business, and Research Associate, Maine Center for Business and Economic Research. Professor Suleiman holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. He has taught courses in databases and database communications.

Concentrations and coordination The program includes concentrations in such application areas as health, e-commerce, manufacturing, the environment, education, and others. Students in this program will be expected to take introductory courses in their selected application area. For example, students planning a concentration in the environment would take ESP 101/102, Fundamentals of Environmental Science and laboratory. For various reasons, these concentrations may have to be phased in as the BSIT program matures.

Ongoing coordination of the program with community colleges and with industry is important. This is a role currently being performed on an ad hoc basis, primarily by the department chairs of Computer Science and Technology. The proposed program will require a designated coordinator, a role that would include teaching responsibilities.

New faculty As the program enrollment grows, there is a possible need for an additional full-time faculty member in year 3.

Table 6 on page 26 shows that in year 3 there is expected to be 43 students in the program; at that point the coordination and teaching tasks related to the program are expected to exceed the resources available.

We propose that the full-time faculty brought on in year 3 to teach and to engage in scholarly activity and


representation in national venues, both contributing to the national reputation of the program if the program enrollments meet our projections.

B. Current library acquisitions A search of the catalog indicates that currently the USM library has, either in print or e-book form, a collection of some 145,590 volumes related to Information Technology. Given that the term has both a broad common usage and a narrow usage as applied to the proposed program, it is difficult to assess whether the library has adequate coverage for the purposes of the proposed program. However, it is expected that significant expenditures will not be required to augment the library’s collection.

Certain journals, specific to Information Technology, will be required. The library has access to 93 journals at this time. A complete list will evolve over time, but the following are some examples:

• International Journal of Information Technology and Management (IJITM) $637

• Ethics and Information Technology (Springer) $447 • Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology (Australian Computer Society) $84

C. New equipment Both USM’s Technology and Computer Science departments have the required equipment (client and server computers and networking equipment) to get started. Additional dedicated servers may be required as the program develops. Dedicated servers (as required) can be hosted in the Information and Innovation datacenter and the John Mitchell Center networking laboratory plus virtual remote servers can be used.

D. Additional space requirements It is expected that existing offices, laboratories and classrooms on the Portland and Gorham campuses are adequate for the start of the program. Additional office space would be required for any additional faculty.

E. Cooperation with other programs This proposal seeks to forge a partnership between USM, Maine’s Community College system and Maine’s industry, government and non-profit organizations to create a program of unique value to them and to Maine’s students and Maine’s workforce. This is a “big tent” partnership, representing many interests and many players. As such, managing this partnership will be a significant responsibility. The partnership also represents a significant opportunity to improve the quality of computer-based services as currently practiced for commerce, education, government and social needs.

The proposed program creates new opportunities for Maine’s Community Colleges. As an accredited program, it will place YCCC, SMCC and CMCC in a national context as participants – as of the date of this proposal, only 21 schools are accredited providers of the BSIT degree, and as far as we know, none of them currently offer 2+2 programs. This national context may serve to draw prospective students to Maine, which will offer an exceptionally affordable path to the BSIT. As well, the partnership aspects of the program will draw instructors from different schools together. Instructors teaching the same course may consider “horizontal integration” they may share curricula and lesson plans; they may develop online courses together, and they may participate in scholarly activity together. Faculty teaching related courses (e.g., courses in the ACM Introductory Networking topic area and instructors teaching follow-on courses in advanced networking may consider “vertical integration:” they may work together to align their


coverage of learning outcomes better, create common cases or projects that carry over from one course to the other or develop coordinated online courses.

Among the opportunities that this proposal reveals, the proposal implies the development of an institutional competency in best practices for IT in Maine that can be of value to industry, government and non-profits in ways such as:

• Consulting and joint projects.

• Non-degree students supplementing their skills through courses offered by Professional and Continuing Education, taught by instructors in the program.

• On-site workshops in specific areas of the curriculum, taught by instructors in the program.

• Offering online versions of some courses may be developed.

We propose to provide a common base of both the 2+2 and 4 year versions of the program by using the ACM curriculum detailed learning outcomes as much as possible. Current USM courses considered for inclusion in the program have been evaluated in terms of their coverage of the ACM learning outcomes. As the program matures and the programs at the community colleges evolve, students entering the program after two years in community college will have had coverage of selected learning outcomes at that level (Bantz D. 2013). In the initial years of the program the coverage of ACM learning outcomes may be incomplete due to the time required to revise existing courses and develop new ones.

As an example, Table 3 on page 14 lists Computer Networking as a generic required course. This course covers all or part of the ACM Introductory Networking (NET) topic area, which includes a detailed (and important) ACM learning outcome in routing and switching, stated as “Analyze the effect of various topologies, applications and devices on network performance topics such as latency, jitter, response time, window size, connection loss and quality of service.” There are 67 detailed learning outcomes in the ACM Introductory NET topic. Students in community college or in the first two years of the program at USM should take courses that cover the majority of these learning outcomes.

This competency-based approach has two areas of application: in the design of the 2+2 program and in student advising. For design purposes, each institution participating in the program must evaluate their courses in terms of the ACM learning outcomes. If an institution does not cover learning outcomes assumed by another institution (e.g., CCA does not cover X but USM assumes X) then negotiation between the institutions is called for. Resolutions may be of the form:

• This learning outcome is not essential or is overlapped by another;

• This learning outcome is essential and can be covered by inclusion in an existing course in CCA.

• This learning outcome is essential and can be covered by inclusion in a required course in USM.

The proposed program has identified a collection of ACM detailed learning outcomes representing USM assumptions as a starting point in the collaboration between USM and SMCC, YCCC and CMCC.

Another area of application of a competency-based approach is that it simplifies accreditation. The targets of accreditation are higher-level competency groups. If members of an accreditation team can exhibit course content in terms of detailed learning outcomes, and those outcomes justify a claim of coverage of a higher-level competency group, then accreditation can be simpler and more precise.


VI. Financial considerations

External Support External support for the proposed program will be explored. The areas where support opportunities may exist include cloud-based servers, on-premises servers, software, internships and direct program support.

Amazon, a major cloud service provider, has a program of educational support called “AWS in Education.” The abbreviation AWS in this context stands for Amazon Web Services. AWS offers a grant of $100 in cloud services to each student enrolled in a course using AWS. In the past, USM Computer Science has received these grants and they are hassle-free. $100 will pay for 1000 hours usage of an EC2 server instance of moderate capacity. Oxford University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Texas at Austin have also used AWS in Education grants. If such a grant were to be withdrawn, students could have comparable facilities using virtual machines hosted at USM. It may be possible to defray the major cost of such hosting (administration and maintenance) by applying the training BSIT students will get in managing such virtual machines. This provides a double benefit: hands-on experience and student resources managed by students who know how they will be used.

USM and community college servers are valuable not only because they offer hands-on experiences, but because they can be used when privacy and security are paramount. In the past, significant contributions of servers have been made by IBM. We will explore such grants.

Software, such as Microsoft Visual Studio and Windows Server 2012, is currently available through the Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance program. Both Oracle and IBM offer free database software (with some limitations). The open-source software site SourceForge now hosts 324,000 applications and serves 4 million downloads each day.

Several local companies already provide computer internship opportunities to USM students. Among these are Unum, IDEXX and WEX. Project>Login’s members, including the three companies already mentioned but also including TD Bank, EMHS, Bangor Savings Bank, Maine Health and Maine Medical Center will offer additional early internship opportunities, many of which will match the interests of students in the proposed program. There may be additional opportunities among the Project>Login membership for direct program support.

Budgetary Assumptions The budget estimates provided here are based on the following assumptions:

1. Both the 4-year and the 2+2 programs are anticipated to begin in the fall of 2014. Three students will begin the 4-year program; fifteen students will begin the third year of the 2+2 program, entering directly from community college. Over the first five years of the program, the rate of growth of 4-year students will be 20% year-on-year; the rate of growth of 2+2 students will be 10%. In the 4-year program students will be entering existing classes, so issues of under-enrollment should not occur.

2. 73% of students will be retained, year-to-year. 3. For the 2+2 program, only intermediate and advanced topics will be covered at USM. Students

entering from community college will have covered all introductory topic areas.


4. No net new full-time faculty will be required until year 3 of the program. One adjunct faculty will teach Integrative Programming in one semester only, each year. Course development funding for one course ($5000) is included. Information management will be taught by existing staff as an incremental modification of COS 457.

5. A quarter-time coordinator will be required for the first two years of the program. 6. Marketing fees of $5000/yr. are included. 7. New equipment will be funded externally. 8. 90% of students will pay in-state tuition at $253 per credit; 10% of students will pay out-of-state

tuition at $665 a credit. Fees are not included in these estimates. Part-time students are not estimated or included. Tuition will be stable in the five-year period.

9. Adjuncts and extra sections cost $3954; new full-time cost $114,300. 10. No estimates of program income from sources other than tuition have been made. In particular,

no assumptions have been made about direct support for the program from industry in general, and Project>Login in particular.

A. Five-year estimates of cost and income Some previous program proposals (e.g., Tourism and Hospitality) have counted tuition for all courses taken as income. This proposal counts only income from courses required by the program from Technology and Computer Science, it does not include income from core courses, math, application electives or other technical electives. The reason for this is that we have only accounted for costs related to technical courses required by the program. We believe that this method of financial analysis is conservative and gives a truer picture of the incremental financial impact of the program. The course credit data is taken from Appendix 2. Courses, 2+2 and 4-year programs, on page 32.


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Table 6. Estimated income

Table 6 presents estimated income from the program in accordance with the assumptions listed above. The first column lists the year of the program: year 1 is the first year the program is offered. Column 2 lists the semesters of the program that a student can be in: in the first year there will be no students in semesters 3-4 because this is the first year of the 4-year program. Column 3 lists the number of students entering the semesters from high school or other sources (semesters 1-2) or from community colleges (semesters 5-6). Column 4 lists the number of students entering the semesters, having completed the previous semesters at USM. For example, no students enter semesters 1-2 having completed previous semesters, while in year 2 of the program 3 students enter semesters 3-4 having previously completed semesters 1-2 because a 50% retention rate has been assumed (rounding has been applied). Column 5 lists the total number of students in the given semesters. Column 6 lists the total number of credits in the program in the given semesters, and the righthand column lists the tuition income from that number of students taking that number of credits, again subject to the assumptions listed above. The total income per program year is also shown.

The grand total income from the first five years of the program is $985,276.


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Table 7. Estimated costs

Table 7 presents the estimated costs of the program including an assumed inflation of 3% for its first five years. It shows the estimated costs of hiring additional adjunct faculty, one course release for a program coordinator for the first two years, marketing of the new program, payment for developing new courses, journals and publications to add to the library collection, and a possible new full time faculty in year 3. The table consists of six columns, the leftmost of which is the year in the program. For example, the inaugural year of the program at USM is given as year 1. The second column lists semesters, categorized by 1-4 and 5-8, to be read as costs incurred in semesters 1-4 of the program vs. costs incurred in semesters 5-8 of the program. For example, in year 1 of the program, there are assumed to be no transfer students in


semesters 1-4 of the program and just 3 students at USM entering from high school -- these will all be in semesters 1-2. The third column of the table lists total costs of the program associated with students (courses) in the various stages of degree completion, without allowance for inflation. For example, in year 3 the table projects six students entering from high school and no marginal costs for them, because of existing capacity in current courses. For the 30 students in semesters 5-8 of the program the total cost is $137,720. The components of this cost are shown in column five of the table. Assumptions about the cost of overloads, adjuncts and full-time new faculty have been listed under Budgetary Assumptions on page 25. Finally, the sixth column of the table lists inflated per-year costs. These sum to $613,165.

Table 8. Profit and Loss

Table 8 shows the five-year net profit. The five-year return on investment (ROI) is 61%. The ROI in year 5 (and sustaining) is 55%. Assuming that all costs for the five years of the program are incurred on day 1 (an extremely conservative assumption) its five-year internal rate of return (IRR) is 16%. This is quite good: in industry, IRR values of 10% are considered to be enough to justify a new project. Note also that the income from the program in each year is sufficient to cover costs: at no time does the program run a deficit. This situation continues indefinitely.

The proposed program brings certain risks. These include over-estimation of the number of entering students, over-estimates of retention, unanticipated costs, under-estimates of transfers from existing programs to the proposed program, under-estimates of marketing expenses, the usual issues with course scheduling, inability to coordinate effectively with the community colleges and unavailability of faculty. There is an additional risk to the ability to accredit the program caused by the various program constraints from USM and the community colleges.

This program requires very little up-front investment because of the heavy use of existing courses, and thus of the capabilities of their instructors. Initial coordination efforts with York County Community College have been very successful, in part because of significant flexibility at both USM and YCCC. And, we believe that our assumptions about industry support for the program are conservative.

V. Program evaluation The proposed program is practice-oriented and its curriculum is competency-based. By its very nature, students and instructors get immediate confirmation of learning outcomes – the systems that the students are building will either work, or they won’t. Formative assessment is facilitated by laboratory work with smaller class sizes. Summative assessment is facilitated by the capstone and, to some extent, internships.

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For example, students will learn whether their system design is secure when it is submitted for attack by other students minoring or concentrating in Cyber-Security. Students will learn whether their system design is scalable when the non-profit that it serves sees a rise in traffic.

In addition to a typical program evaluation plan, the proposed program also benefits from interaction with industry and government. Examples of such interaction include presence of industry representatives during the review of a capstone project and frequent industry guest speakers in lectures and laboratories. This interaction also builds confidence in industry that the program will graduate students of value to them.

This program will eventually come under ABET criteria for accreditation. ABET accreditation criteria require that feedback mechanisms from principal stakeholders, students, employers and practitioners be in place. Course results will be assessed in preparation for ABET review. In effect, there is then a constant ongoing review of the program. In addition, the program will be reviewed every six years by ABET external reviewers. We hope to apply for accreditation within five years of the start of the program, as ABET requires at least one graduating class.

Formative program evaluation information will be used as part of the two-year audit required for new programs by the University of Maine System. The two-year report will examine enrollment data, student satisfaction, course grades, an exit exam, an exit survey, curriculum implementation, student course evaluations, and industry representative/advisory board feedback, as well as an analysis of the cost-benefit projections. Another key part of the formative assessment/audit will be to evaluate the program’s progress and success at refining the alignment with the community colleges and improving the coverage of ACM learning outcomes. Such an analysis will assess the successful connections made, the challenges, the needs, and the recommendations for making the program even more accessible to students throughout the state of Maine. The results of the audit will be reported to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs as required, to the program advisory committee and USM and community college faculty.

A summative evaluation will be compiled in the fifth year of the program. The five-year study will include analysis of enrollment, retention, and degree completion data and student and industry satisfaction surveys. This evaluation will reflect the experiences of students who have been able to complete the four-year cycle of classes and field experiences and provide first-hand reflections on and assessments of their educational experience. The study will also serve a formative role as it will provide feedback to help with planning program revisions that reflect the needs of students, faculty, the industry, and the changing global economy.


Bibliography ABET Computing Accreditation Commission. (2013). Criteria for Accrediting Computing Programs.

ACM, AIS, IEEE Comp. Soc. (2005). Computing Curricula 2005: The Overview Report.

ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc. (2008). Information Technology 2008: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Technology.

Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). (n.d.). Retrieved 2013, from Amazon Web Services: http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/

Bantz, D. (2013, June). BSIT semesters 1-4 learning outcomes.xlsx.

Bantz, D., & others. (2007). IT Autopilot: a flexible IT service management and delivery platform for small and medium business. IBM Journal of Research and Development, 46(3).

Bantz, D., Paradis, C. D., & Wilson, G. (2011). Maine IT Workforce Skills Management. Information and Innovation, USM.

Dorrer, J. (2012). Jobs for the Future, Real Time Labor Market Information for Maine. Burning Glass Technologies.

H.M. Cabinet Office. (2011). ITIL Lifecycle Suite. H.M. Cabinet Office.

IS 2002 Model Curriculum and Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Information Systems. (2002). Retrieved July 19, 2013, from Association for Computing Machinery: http://www.acm.org/education/education/curric_vols/is2002.pdf

Mastrianni, S., Bantz, D., & others. (2008). BlueStar: Managed Services for Enterprise Mobility. IEEE International Conference on e-Business Engineering. Xi'an, China.

O*Net. (n.d.). Retrieved 3 7, 2013, from O*Net Code Connector: http://www.onetcodeconnector.org/

PolicyOne Research Inc. (2010). S&T Impact Analysis.

SIGITE. (n.d.). Retrieved 3 8, 2013, from http://test.sigite.hosting.acm.org/

USM. (2009). Preparing USM for the Future 2009-2014.


Appendix 1. Student outcomes

The ACM/IEEE Curriculum Guidelines (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008) list 14 program outcomes, or characteristics of IT graduates:

a. An ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics appropriate to the discipline.

b. An ability to analyze a problem and identify and define the computing requirements appropriate to its solution.

c. An ability to design, implement and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component or program to meet desired needs.

d. An ability to function effectively on teams to accomplish a common goal.

e. An understanding of professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities.

f. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

g. An ability to analyze the local and global impact of computing on individuals, organizations and society.

h. Recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in continuing professional development.

i. An ability to use current techniques, skills and tools necessary for computing practice.

j. An ability to use and apply current technical concepts and practices in the core information technologies.

k. An ability to identify and analyze user needs and take them into account in the selection, creation, evaluation and administration of computer-based systems.

l. An ability to effectively integrate IT-based solutions into the user environment.

m. An understanding of best practices and standards and their application.

n. An ability to assist in the creation of an effective project plan.

The ABET Criteria for Accrediting Computing Programs (ABET Computing Accreditation Commission, 2013) specifically mentions outcomes j-n.

Proposal: B.S. in Information Technology – 9/13/13 University of Southern Maine

32

Appendix 2. Courses, 2+2 and 4-year programs

This appendix lists courses to be taken by BSIT candidates in both the in the York County Community College 2+2 program and 121 credit USM 4-year program. Detailed program discussions with Southern Maine and Central Maine Community Colleges are not yet complete, but similar course listings will be developed.

The table below lists anticipated courses (including examples) in the 2+2 program with York County Community College. At this point the curriculum exceeds the maximum 121 credits allowed so adjustments will be made.

UNIVERSITY CORE

Where Remarks

TECHNICAL

Where Remarks

College Writing 3 YCCC ENG 101

CIS 118 Intro. to Computer Technology 3 YCCC

Quantitative Reasoning Statistics 3 YCCC MAT 210

CIS 152 Computer Hardware 3 YCCC

Creative Expression (any on list) 3 YCCC

WEB 131 Web Page Development 3 YCCC

Socio-cultural

3 YCCC ECO 120

ITT 382 Advanced Web Site Development 3

Science Exploration PHY or CHY w/Lab 4

CIS 131/141 Intro to Programming 3 YCCC

Cultural Interpretation Ethics & Contemp. Society 3 YCCC PHI 102

COS 160/170 Structured Problem Solving: Java 4

Ethical Inquiry

3

COS 161 Algorithms in Programming 4

Diversity (any on list) 3

NET 110 Networking Essentials I 3 YCCC

International Project Management

ITP 230

ITT 373 Intermediate Computer Networking 3

CIS 230 Desktop and Server Administration I 3 YCCC

THEMATIC CLUSTER: Professional Practices

COS 368 Graphical User Interface Design 3

Cluster Course 1 Project Management ITP 230

CIS 220 Information Security 3 YCCC

Cluster Course 2 3 YCCC BUS 110

ITT 376 Network Security and Ethics 3

Cluster Course 3 3

COS 495 Advanced Web Architectures 3

COS <IPTC> Integrative Programming 3

Capstone Capstone 3 ITT 460

CIS 217 Database Management 3 YCCC

ITT <OSS> Operations Senior Seminar 3

DEPARTMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Application Elective 3

ITP 210 Technical Writing 3 YCCC ENG 211


College Algebra 3 YCCC MAT 127


ITP 250 Mgmt. Info Sys 3

Technical Elective 3 YCCC CIS/NET/WEB

Finite Math 3 YCCC MAT 122


ITP 350 Teambuilding & Facilitation 3


ITP 230 Project Management 3 SPE 101 General Elective 3 YCCC speech


33

The table immediately below lists anticipated courses (including examples) in the 4-year program at USM.

UNIVERSITY CORE

Remarks

TECHNICAL

Remarks

Entry-year Experience (any) 3

ITT 181 Introduction to Computers 3

College Writing College Writing 3 ENG 100

ITT 241 Info. & Comm. Technologies 3

Quantitative Reasoning Statistics 3 MAT 210

ITT 272 Intro. Computer Networking 3

Creative Expression (any) 3

ITT 281 Internet Web Site Development 3

Socio-cultural (any) 3

ITT 373 Intermediate Computer Networking 3

Science Exploration PHY or CHY w/Lab 4

ITT 376 Network Security and Ethics 3

Cultural Interpretation (any) 3

ITT 382 Advanced Web Site Development 3

Ethical Inquiry (any) 3

ITT 425 Process Control Engineering 3

Diversity

COS 160/170 Structured Programming: Java 4

International Project Management

ITP 230

COS 161 Algorithms in Programming 4

COS 368 Graphical User Interface Design 3

THEMATIC CLUSTER: Professional Practices

COS 370 Introduction to Security 3

Cluster Course 1 Project Management ITP 230

COS 470 Computer Network Security 3

Cluster Course 2

3

COS 495 Advanced Web Architectures 3

Cluster Course 3

3

COS <IPTC> Integrative Programming 3

COS <IMC> Data Representation & Mgmt. 3

Capstone Capstone 3 ITT 460

<SAM> System Administration & Mgmt. 3 From CC

ITT <OSS> Operations Senior Seminar 3

DEPARTMENTAL REQUIREMENTS


Technical Writing Technical Writing 3 ITP 210


Project Management Project Management 3 ITP 230


Mgmt. Info. Systems Mgmt. Info. Systems 3 ITP 250

General Elective 3

Teambuilding & Facilitation Teambuilding & Facilitation 3 ITP 350

College Algebra College Algebra 4 MAT 108

Finite Mathematics Discrete Mathematics I 3 MAT 145


34

Discussion of the 2+2 Program The anticipated 2+2 program at YCCC resulted from an intensive curriculum-focused meeting, essential to understand how the USM Department of Technology and the YCCC Computer Technology programs work. The goal was to configure the program so that all of the credits required for the YCCC Associate’s degree in Computer Technology could be included in the BSIT program and this was accomplished in part by introducing four general electives.

There is a potential overlap between CIS 141 Object-oriented Programming and COS 160/170, Java. This was intentional, to maximize incoming students’ chances of success in the relatively difficult COS 161. Program experience may allow us to remove this overlap.

Discussion of the 4-year Program The 4-year program at USM was configured to take maximum advantage of existing courses and to make the last two years of the program efficient for transfer students from the 2+2 program.

Note that <SAM> is a course sourced from a community college (“reverse-articulated”). Ideally, this is an online course. YCCC does have an on-campus course that can satisfy this requirement, but commuting to Wells may not be a practical option for USM students. SMCC has courses in open-source and Microsoft operating systems and in Network System Management, but no direct candidate.

The existence of the 4-year program allows incoming freshmen to elect the BSIT. It also makes it convenient for other majors to convert (e.g., CS to IT), and it makes it possible for non-traditional students to enter the program with any background, including partial preparation, and find the courses they need to complete the program.


Appendix 3. Frequently-asked Questions

1. What are the U.S. Department of Labor SOC codes and outlooks8 for occupations that graduates of the proposed program can seek?

o 11-3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers (bright outlook)

o 15-1121 Computer Systems Analysts (bright outlook)

o 15-1122 Information Security Analysts (with Cyber-security concentration)

o 15-1142 Network and Computer Systems Administrators (bright outlook)

o 15-1143 Computer Network Architects

o 15-1199 Computer Systems Engineers/Architects (bright outlook)

2. How are candidates for these occupations currently educated in Maine?

Some candidates seek some of these occupations after receiving an Associate degree in Computer Technology or Computer Systems Technology from a Maine Community College. Some attain a Bachelor’s degree from UMA, Orono or UMFK. Others use their practical training from full-time or part-time employment in the IT industry, gained while pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Science degree. Some receive an Associate or Bachelor of Computer Information Systems degree (or a minor in Computer Information Systems) from the University of Maine at Augusta, Husson University, or an Associate, Bachelor or Master of Science in Information Technology from Kaplan University in Augusta. The Kaplan programs are not ABET-accredited.

3. If employer positions are currently being filled, why is a new USM program required?

As cited in Section 4 of this document, it is projected that positions will not be filled by the expected graduates of existing programs. This is due in part to the mismatch between the requirements of existing programs (see 4 below) and the requirements given by the curriculum of the proposed program, forcing students to take courses they do not need in order to get a Bachelor’s degree. It is also due to issues with transfer credits from the community colleges, forcing students to retake courses with materials they have already covered.

But the new BSIT is needed not only because of articulation issues between USM and the community colleges, but also because the proposed program addresses important gaps in all of the existing USM programs. In particular, the proposed program addresses the need for education in best practices in computer system design, operation and management. It focuses on constructing new computer systems through integration, rather than development. It recognizes the important role of operational excellence in the provision of computer-based services. It caters to the student whose interests are practice-oriented and whose learning style is hands-on.

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4. If most of the courses in the proposed program are being currently taught at USM in some form or other, why is a new program required?

The short answer is that the existing degree programs at USM require courses that are not required in the recommended curriculum for the proposed program (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008) and there are a few courses required that are not currently taught.

The courses currently being taught at USM are in the School of Business or in the Technology or Computer Science departments of the College of Science, Technology and Health. In the case of Technology, the relevant Bachelor’s degrees offered are in Technology Management, with a concentration in Information and Communications Technology Management, and Applied Technical Leadership. Focusing on the former, which emphasizes management, 15 credits are required from professional courses, only two of which are required in the curriculum for the proposed program (ACM, IEEE Comp. Soc., 2008) and 27 credits are required from technical courses, only two of which are required in the proposed curriculum. This course of study also requires Applied Calculus, not required for the proposed curriculum. For Applied Technical Leadership, 27 credits are required from professional courses, only two of which are in the curriculum for the proposed program. Overall, many Technology students originate in the Maine Community College system: their credits transfer with minimal loss.

In the case of Computer Science, the relevant degree is the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. The degree requires ten computer science courses, of which only three are required in the proposed curriculum. The degree requires one software design course, none of which are required in the proposed curriculum. Computer Science requires fifteen credit hours of mathematics, while only approximately three credit hours are required in the proposed curriculum.

5. Will the proposed program include industry certifications?

The practice of Information Technology has suffered from a lack of attention by 4-year degree-granting institutions, a lack which is only now being remedied. Commercial suppliers (e.g., Microsoft, Oracle, VMWare, Cisco) and certificate-granting organizations (e.g., the Project Management Institute, the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, CompTIA) have filled the space with product-specific and practice-oriented certifications. The current state of the IT profession is that these certifications are more valuable than a four-year degree, and the proposed program (as well as all of the other programs in the U.S.) must face this reality.

The proposed program will be vendor-agnostic: that is, it will use example components and systems without regard to their source. That said, students may have a chance to learn a good deal about a Cisco router, for example. This positions them to seek a Cisco certification on their own. Similarly, a central part of their educational experience will be a full understanding of the discipline of project management. This positions the student to seek a PMI certification such as the Certified Associate in Project Management. At present, coursework at USM satisfies the PMI classroom requirement for this certification.

As the program evolves, opportunities to partner with certificate-granting agencies should be sought. At the same time, the proposed program does not intend to train its students in the use of


specific products or software; the intent is to educate the student in the principles of system design and operation.

6. Will the proposed program bring students to USM who wouldn’t otherwise come?

It will, but it is hard to quantify how many. Some prospective students, interested in an IT career, will opt for USM rather than going out-of-state (e.g., UNH Durham) or getting a degree from an unaccredited program in the hopes that it will be good enough (e.g., Kaplan). Some prospective students will do a cost analysis and then enter the program through a community college – a combination of low cost and graduation from an accredited program is hard to beat. Some students will complete an Associate’s degree at a community college and will want the extra career advantages that accrue from a BSc. from USM. Some nontraditional students will see the USM degree as the next step in their careers. Some businesses may see it in their interests to upgrade the skills of their employees in the critical area of computer-based service provision.

That said, there is some potential for the proposed program cannibalizing students from Computer Science and Technology Management. It has been observed that this risk is offset by other factors we have mentioned: pent-up demand among Community College alumni and industry workers, higher retention due to better style matching and a possible shift of instructor hours from courses in existing programs into the new one. This is made more feasible by the overlap in disciplines between IT, CS and Technology Management.

7. Is the proposed program consistent with USM’s strategy?

USM’s current strategy is described in (USM, 2009). It lists eight goals, and multiple strategies and actions for achieving these goals. It is beyond the scope of this document to enumerate all of the ways that the proposed program relates to these goals and strategies, but it is relevant to discuss a few.

Goal 1: To serve the needs and aspirations of 21st-century Maine.

Strategy: Identify a strategic, signature role for USM in service of the State’s creative economy. The program proposes that USM become a center of excellence in educating students to provide operational excellence in the provision of computer-based services.

Strategy: Establish community/program partnerships where appropriate. The program proposes an engineered partnership with Maine’s community colleges. It integrates industry, government and non-profit organizations into the curriculum via direct participation, internships and the capstone.

Goal 5: To ensure the university’s fiscal sustainability.

Action: Develop new programs that respond to existing or emerging State of Maine and nationwide workforce needs. The proposed program addresses the needs of Maine industry for an increased number of IT graduates, as asserted by Project>Login. It addresses a gap in Maine’s IT workforce in excellence in service provision. It also effectively uses existing university resources.


Appendix 4. The IT MOU and Curriculum Teams

The proposed program originated from a team (the “IT MOU” team) established to explore the potential for articulation between the community colleges and USM in the subject area of Information Technology. This team comprises

• Dr. David Briggs, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Computer Science, 220 Science, USM, Portland ME 04104 (207) 780-4723 [email protected]

• Margie Fahey, Associate Dean, Curriculum Design and Development, 113B Campus Center, SMCC, 2 Fort Road, South Portland, ME 04106 (207) 741-5833 [email protected]

• Paula Gagnon, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, YCCC, 112 College Drive, Wells ME 04090 (207) 216-4318 [email protected]

• Dr. Dahlia Lynn, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor, Public Policy and Management, Muskie School of Public Service, 732 Law Building, USM, Portland ME 04104 (207) 780-4544 [email protected]

• Dr. Glenn Wilson, Associate Research Professor, Technology, 208 John Mitchell Center, USM, Gorham ME 04038 (207) 780-5619 and Director, Information and Innovation, 293 Science, USM, Portland ME 04104 [email protected]

• Dr. John Zaner, Department Chair and Associate Professor, Technology, 213 John Mitchell Center, USM, Gorham ME 04038 (207) 780-5440 [email protected]

On October 5, 2012 the IT MOU team established a curriculum team. The proposed program is the direct outcome of the work of this team. The team comprises

• Dr. E. Anne Applin, Assistant Professor, Computer Technology, CET 02, SMCC, 2 Fort Road, South Portland ME 04106 (207) 741-5778 [email protected]

• Dr. David Bantz, Adjunct Professor of Computer Science, College of Science, Technology and Health, and Senior Research Fellow, Information and Innovation, 226 Science, USM, Portland ME 04104 (207) 780-8440 [email protected]

• Dr. Carl Blue, Associate Professor of Technology, College of Science, Technology and Health, 210 John Mitchell Center, USM, Gorham ME 04038 (207) 780-5391 [email protected]

• Dr. Susan Chinn, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, School of Business, 118 Bedford St., USM, Portland ME 04104 (207) 780-4750 [email protected]

• Ashley Hayes, Department Chair, Computer Technology, J-517, CMCC, 1250 Turner St., Auburn ME 04210 (207)755-5242 [email protected]


• Mark Monnin, Department Chair, Computer Technology, B212, YCCC, 112 College Drive, Wells ME 04090 (207) 216-4368 [email protected]

• Dr. James Suleiman, Associate Professor of Management Information Systems, School of Business, and Research Associate, Maine Center for Business and Economic Research, 409 Luther Bonney Hall, USM, Portland ME 04104 (207) 780-4410 [email protected]


Phone: (207) 624-8800/ (207) 624-9494 Fax: (207) 287-4563 www.Maine.gov

PAUL R. LEPAGE GOVERNOR

STATE OF MAINE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES

OFFICE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 26 Edison Drive

145 STATE HOUSE STATION AUGUSTA, MAINE 04333-0145

JAMES R. SMITH CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

H. SAWIN MILLETT, JR. COMMISSIONER

ACCTINGCOMMISSIONER

March 28, 2013 Dean Andrew Anderson College of Science Technology and Health 125 Masterton Hall University of Southern Maine PO Box 9300 Portland, ME 04104 Dear Dr. Anderson and the MOU Committee, As Chief Information Officer for the State of Maine, I am excited to support the new Bachelor of Science degree program in Information Technology. As you know, the baby boomer Silver Tsunami is upon us. The State of Maine, like most large organizations, is facing a crisis: up to 20% of our IT workforce will be retiring in the next few years. We have to find a practical way to replace these experienced knowledgeable IT resources. This program is a great step in that direction. As an organization, we have revamped our recruiting and educational awareness efforts recently hiring more IT interns from the University and conducting High School Tech Nights to educate students about IT careers. But we know that our efforts alone will not be sufficient; we need the continuing flexibility and adaptability from the education systems to help us solve this issue. This coordinated initiative from USM, YCCC, CMCC, and SMCC promises to engage students as they graduate from high school, and efficiently and effectively provide them with a plan and a clear and unimpeded path to a BSIT degree from USM. This program focuses on determining organizational needs for information systems; selecting, installing and customizing such systems, and operating them with best practices. The practice-oriented nature of the program includes application concentrations, internships and capstone projects to ensure that students understand what employers need from them. From my reading of the curriculum these are the exact and productive skills required by our organization. These courses are current and address our evolving business needs. In addition to building the right technical foundations such as work in data structures, object-oriented, networking, and cyber security, the program will offer business-needed skills such as technical communication, teamwork, and leadership. The BSIT courses that reflect business understanding from technical and management perspectives will place these students in vital jobs quickly and provide career paths that are stable, substantive and well-compensated. In summary, I believe that students graduating from the new BSIT program at USM will add value to our organization and will help lead our technological and business growth. It is a wonderful example of educational organizations partnering to help business solve a pending issue. Sincerely,

James R. Smith CIO, State of Maine


idexx.com

IDEXX Information Technology

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date: february 24, 2014 - university of maine system february 24, 2014 to: andrew anderson, ... the...

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