Tomorrow's IT Challenges Today

Training Tomorrow's IT Leaders

When universities test the limits of wireless technologies by deploying thousands of APs, their experiences impact the entire industry. And because successes and failures are realized fairly quickly, the results are immediate. However, the academic-program decisions made at universities have a longer-lasting and more general impact on the IT industry because the people who leave these programs shape the IT products and services of tomorrow.

Some people believe a strong liberal arts education should be the academic goal of universities, particularly at the undergraduate level. Teaching students how to think critically, express themselves effectively and work together in teams is arguably of more lasting value than teaching them technical skills that may soon become obsolete. On the other hand, many organizations lack the capacity to simply hire smart people into their IT shops and then train them. They need students who have a basic understanding of technology architecture, business applications, network protocols and systems.

Historically, many IT professionals have received training in computer science and engineering, academic disciplines with rich histories. Many of Network Computing's current and former tech editors gained their entry into the profession through this path. But increasingly, universities are recognizing the multidisciplinary nature of IT and crafting new academic programs that train students not only in technology but also more broadly in the role that information plays within modern organizations and society. In other words, while classic IT training focuses on the "T," these new programs focus more on the "I."

Last October, more than 250 academics met at Penn State University for the first "i-School" conference, where research and educational trends in this new field were discussed; next year the group will convene at the University of Michigan. Syracuse University School of Information Studies, home to one of Network Computing's Real-World Labs®, is one of the pioneers in the i-School movement. Other leading players include the University of Michigan, University of Washington, Penn State, University of Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.