Bridging the gap between higher education and industry, the IBM Academic Initiative matches graduates’ information technology skills with workforce needs. Fairmont State University is the only college or university in the state participating and is already experiencing successful outcomes.
“As a result of this partnership, Fairmont State faculty gain access to innovative technology, and our students receive first-class learning opportunities to prepare them for today’s competitive marketplace,” said Dr. Maria Rose, FSU President.
Through efforts coordinated by John Thompson, president/owner of Mobile Collaborative Education Consulting, FSU’s School of Business and College of Science and Technology receive guidance in how to best utilize IBM technology in the classroom and to prepare students to be leaders in the industry.
In July, Fairmont State hosted a weeklong Enterprise Systems Faculty Training Session led by IBM’s lead trainer on the Enterprise system, Paul Newton. Representatives from other IBM Academic Initiative participants—Alcorn State University, Delaware State University, Lincoln University and Robert Morris University—were invited to the FSU campus.
On July 12, IBM held its first Customer Summit meeting coordinated by Don Resnick, the global director of the IBM Academic Initiative. Resnick invited customers using IBM’s Enterprise System Technology to meet with university faculty members to discuss corporate needs in the workforce and how to infuse curricula with the desired skill sets for graduates to be immediately employable. Participants included the Depository Trust Clearing Corporation, Highmark West Virginia, IBM Sales & Marketing, FBI/CJIS Fingerprinting, the Department of the Treasury/Bureau of Public Debt and PNC Bank.
Two FSU seniors who participated in interviews received offers for jobs to begin this fall. FSU has been invited to bring students back to the Depository Trust for the next three years to interview for future opportunities.
Fairmont Senior High School graduate and computer science major Brett Clark is one of the FSU students who landed a job through the interview process. He will be part of the software development team for the Depository Trust in Tampa, Fla.
“By the time the door opened and they welcomed me in for the interview, I knew that I was prepared for anything they could possibly throw my way,” Clark said.
Computer science major Adam Klinger also found employment through the Depository Trust. He will be part of the Depository Trust enterprise systems team in Tampa, Fla.
“By putting in the effort and working with individuals who know what type of people companies are looking for, we were able to get a ‘leg up’ in the job arena and have great opportunities immediately available upon graduation,” Klinger said.
Another student, James Burnworth, has accepted a position as a primary project representative with IBM in Hopewell Junction, N.Y. His job opportunity is a direct result of his course work at FSU under the IBM Academic Initiative.
A fourth FSU student, Nicolette A. Rueger, has accepted an opportunity to join IBM’s Sales and Distribution Summit Internship program in the role of Information Technology Specialist. She will be working in the Technical Exploration Center (TEC) at IBM’s prestigious Research Triangle Park site in Durham, N.C.
