SPRING 2003 Volume 2, Number 2

1. BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT BIS•e•Times SPRING 2003 Volume 2, Number 2 Visit our web site at http://bis.cba.cmich.edu/ CMU AITP Students Bring Back Awards INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Central Michigan University students displayed their scholarly work on March 27, 28 and 29 at the Association of Information Technology Professionals National Student Conference at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Eric Pynnonen of Midland won two first place awards, one for the database project and one for the undergraduate student paper/presentation competition. “It is remarkable that Eric won competitions that are so different” said Dr. James Cappel, AITP co-advisor and BIS department faculty member. “The database competition involves technical skills, whereas the paper/presentation event requires written and oral communication skills. The database contest alone had over 50 entries, so it’s quite an accomplishment.” (continued on page 2.) Faculty Activities 2 Student Groups 3 MSIS Information 3 New Faculty 4 SAP 4 Scholarships 5 BIS Department Sponsors 5 MIS Advisory Board 6 WHEN CMU CALLS DURING A FUND CAMPAIGN, DIRECT YOUR DOLLARS TO HELP YOUR DEPARTMENT: AITP, Account 44007. Business Teacher Education, Account 43055. BIS Discretionary Fund, Account 41911. Ima Chambers Scholarship, Account 64593. MIS Advisory Board Fund, Account 64435. MIS Endowment Fund, Account 66665. William Wolhgamuth Scholarship, Account 64564. Winsor Scholarship, Account 64133. FROM WHERE I SITMonica Holmes, Chair BIS Department As always, time flies and once again the BIS-e-Times has news for you. The most exciting news is the hiring of the five new faculty members, i.e., four MIS and one BTE/business communication. They are a fine addition to the strengths of the department. I am also especially proud of the fact that students in both the BTE and MIS majors and minors take many elective classes together. As we know, BTE graduates in the high schools are our first contacts with those students who may want to come to Central to study business. In this issue, we have added a column recognizing the donors to the BIS department, and in the next issue, we plan to add news about our alumni. However, in order to do that, we need to receive news about you. Dr. Gust was the acting chairperson while I was on my sabbatical. He just finished his sabbatical this past spring. In the fall, Drs. Cappel and Hwang will be going on their sabbaticals. While sabbaticals may sound as though the faculty are taking their vacations, nothing is further from the truth. They work on research projects that could involve collaboration with faculty at other universities, collecting data for these projects from companies, and even re-tooling themselves by attending workshops and seminars as well as visiting companies to observe how business concepts are applied in the workplaces. I was fortunate to spend some time at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, IN and to have the opportunity to see how our former MIS graduates are doing there. Sabbaticals and similar research leaves are critical to faculty who can take the time to work on research and teaching without other commitments on their time. Nothing is more exciting to the BIS faculty than to hear about the achievements of their students. AITP has once again shown that they are a match for their peers at other universities and colleges. While we are proud of the fact that every spring semester they pack up their gear to compete with other students, this past spring they outdid themselves and brought several prizes home to CMU. (Continue on page 2.) CONSIDER STARTING A BIS OR MIS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IN YOUR COMPANY, CITY, AREA: e-mail Dr. Elizabeth Kemm at kemm1e@cmich.edu or give her a call at (989)774-3817

2. BIS.e.Times: Volume 2, Number 2. Spring 2003. Page 2 From Where I Sit (continued from page 1.) CMU Business Students Take Home Awards (Continued form page 1.) The AITP student group also earned the Best Chapter in the Region award for the fourth consecutive year. Other individual award winners include: John Griffith of Lakehurst, NJ who placed second for the graduate student paper/presentation competition. Tarun Damodaran of Bangladore, India, took third place for the graduate student paper/presentation competition. Clint McPherson of Clinton Township, Colleen Cline of St. Clair Shores and Dave Miller of Boyne City all got honorable mention for the systems analysis and design competition. Greg Boehmer of Shelby Township, Robert Mistele of Bloomfield and William Vendt of Utica earned the Associate Computing Professional Certification after passing two examinations at the conference. Other CMU students passed one examination and can take an additional examination at next year’s conference to become certified. “We are proud of our 20 students who participated,” said Cappel. They actively attended workshops and all participated in at least one competition. It was a great learning experience, and the students represented CMU well.” Cappel and AITP co-adviser Zhenyu Huang also participated in the conference. The event featured speakers from IBM, Robert Half Technologies, State Farm Insurance, Purdue University’s Biometric Institute, and many other organizations. Approximately 600 students and faculty attended the conference. In addition, these students took it upon themselves to take the Associate Computing Professional Certification exam. This is the first time that any CMU student took such an exam. Nothing impresses employers more than the students' drive to improve themselves. Dr. Csapo continues to apply her energy to the business teacher education program which now has more than 100 majors and minors. Every year, she uses her grant to attract more students to the BTE program. She is very happy to have Dr. Karl Smart working with her. Together they are working on a new teaching concentration for the Master of Science in Information Systems. One thing we want to do is to hold the graduate BTE classes in the evenings or weekends in spring 2004 versus having them in summer 2004. Look for more news about the business teacher education students in the next newsletter. In these times of budget constraints, we are grateful for the generosity of our donors. With your financial assistance, we are able to provide scholarships to the students and also to AITP for their activities. No gift is too small as every cent counts. Thank you very much. At the moment, we are updating our web site at http://bis.cba.cmich.edu so that our look-and-feel will be in sync with those of the College. If you have any news or suggestion, please email me at monica.c.holmes@cmich.edu or call me at 989-774-4364. I am always happy to receive news that I can use in the next BIS-e-Times and/or meet with you. Some Faculty Publications Dr. Nancy Csapo- “Certification of Computer Literacy,” The Journal, vol. 30, no.1, 2002. Dr. Richard Featheringham- Interactive Applications: Punctuation, Capitalization, and Number Style, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2003. Dr. Richard Featheringham and Dr. Nancy Csapo- Business Communication: Topics and Activities, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2002. Dr. Monica Holmes- “ADR Solution for Academic Workplace Conflicts,” Dispute Resolution Journal, vol. 57, no. 2, 2002. Zhenyu Huang- Internet EDI Adoption: Trust in Technology and Application Knowledge. AMCIS Proceeding, page 2222-2227. Dr. Anil Kumar- “Toward a Deeper Examination of Global IT Theory and Frameworks,” Journal of Global Information Technology Management, vol. 5, no. 4, 2002. Dr. Karl Smart- “Assessing the Need for Printed and Online Documentation: A Study of Customer Preferences and Use,” The Journal of Business Communication, July 2001. Three Cheers The BIS Department would like to congratulate the following faculty members for their achievements: Dr. James Cappel on being promoted to associate professor in Fall 2002. Dr. Nancy Csapo on also being promoted to associate professor in Fall 2002. Dr. Nancy Csapo on receiving tenure starting in Fall 2003. Dr. Roger Hayen for becoming president of the International Association of Computer Information Systems (IACIS). Dr. Monica Holmes for another term as department chair. DaimlerChrysler Lab Rededication On October 24, 2002 the DaimlerChrysler Lab in Grawn was rededicated. If you come to Mount Pleasant, come and see the new lab layout which is conductive to instructor-student interaction.

3. BIS.e.Times: Volume 2, Number 2. Spring 2003. Page 3 Spotlight on Student Groups • to teach the ideal of service as the basis of all worthy enterprise • to encourage civic responsibility Current Activities This year the chapter participated in the annual “adopt-a-family” community service activity. The chapter adopted a family of four and purchased clothes and toys as Christmas presents for all family members. Many members lead by officers attended the MBEA 2002 Annual Convention in Novi, Michigan, October 24 and 25. Our chapter leadership for the 2002-2003 school year includes: AITP What is AITP? Association for Information Technology Professionals is a professional association composed of managers, analysts, programmers, and other IT professionals who share an interest in information technology and its use in organizations. Some benefits of joining the student chapter of AITP include: Ben Goward President Wanda Owings Vice-President Krista VanderVeen Treasurer Christin Brown Secretary Brad Willey Social Director Karen Symborskil Historian • Opportunities to meet employers in the IT field • Learning more about the IT profession • Opportunities to meet fellow students • Providing leadership and service experiences MSIS Information The Master of Science in Information Systems (MSIS) program is designed for individuals who do not have a previous information systems or computing-related degree. The program prepares students to enter various information systems positions in business, consulting, government, or non-profit organizations; to teach computer applications and information systems at community colleges; or to enter a Ph.D. program in information systems-related areas after graduation. The student must complete an area of concentration approved by the MSIS director in enterprise software or systems applications. Admission to the MSIS program is competitive. Students must have: a bachelor’s degree; an undergraduate gpa of 2.7 overall or at least 3.0 in the final sixty semester hours; and five prerequisite courses with a grade point average of at least 2.7 and no course grade lower than C. The prerequisites at CMU are Computers in Business I (BIS 221), Principles of Accounting I (ACC 201), Principles of Accounting II (ACC 202), Mathematics for Business I (MTH 116) or Calculus I (MTH 132), and Introduction to Statistics (STA 282). For more information, contact Karen Williamson at (989) 774-3721 or willi1km@cmich.edu. To the new and current MSIS students, Ms. Williamson would like to say, “I look forward to working with all of you in the fall and wish you an enjoyable summer!” SAP-UASUG What is SAP-UASUG?   The SAP University Alliance Student User Group was started at Central Michigan University in 1998. It was the first SAP-UASUG in the nation. With a membership of nearly 50 students from all functional areas of business, SAP-UASUG provides hands-on applications and real-world knowledge to benefit students in these areas:  • Understanding of integrated business processes • World-class knowledge of ERP systems • Increased employability and entry-level salary • Choice of employers Pi Omega Pi • The Zeta Epsilon Chapter of Pi Omega Pi, the only undergraduate honorary society in business teacher education, was installed in Central Michigan University in 1979, as the 149th chapter. Since then, more than 200 CMU students have become members of our chapter. • The aims of Pi Omega Pi, as provided in the National Constitution, include the following: • to create and encourage interest and to promote scholarship in business education • to foster high ethical standards in business and professional life among teachers of business

4. BIS.e.Times: Volume 2, Number 2. Spring 2003. Page 4 New Faculty Members Dr. Kemm started in Fall 2001 as a full-time assistant professor. Dr. Kemm received her Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. She came here from Missouri Southern State College where she was an associate professor in the Computer Information Science Department. She currently teaches BIS 221, Computer in Business I, BIS 327, Web Site Development, and BIS 635, Business Systems Application. Six Students Receive The Dow Chemical SAP Award of Excellence The Dow Chemical Company continues to show its support for the Business Information Systems (BIS) department and its students in the sponsoring of a semi-annual luncheon for the awarding of scholarships to Management Information Systems students for their excellence in SAP supported course work. The fall luncheon was held on October 18, 2002 at The Embers in Mount Pleasant. CMU alumnus Jim Whyte, Data Architect, presented undergraduate student, Amar Hussein of Dearborn and graduate students Denise McBride of Beal City and Francis Tawiah of Ghana, each a plaque and a $500.00 scholarship. On February 28, 2003 The Dow Chemical Company again demonstrated its commitment to the BIS department and the SAP program by hosting the seventh semi-annual luncheon at The Embers in Mount Pleasant. Jim Whyte presented the $500 scholarships and plaques to undergraduate students, Russell Ashman of Livonia, Derick Fedewa of Westphalia, and Scott Stefanich of Gould City. More information and pictures are available on the SAP University Alliance Program web site at http://sapua.cba.cmich.edu. Dr. Elizabeth Kemm Mr. Huang started in Fall 2002 as a full-time assistant professor. Mr. Huang is expected to receive his Ph.D. in May 2003 from the University of Memphis. He came here from the University of Memphis where he was a Graduate/Teaching Assistant. He currently teaches BIS 221, Computers in Business I, BIS 228, Computer Programming COBOL, and BIS 628, Business Transaction Processing Systems. Mr. Zhenyu Huang Dr. Kumar started in Summer 2002 as a full-time assistant professor. Dr. Kumar received his Ph.D. from the University of Memphis. He came here from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he was an assistant professor. He currently teaches BIS 420, Systems Analysis and Design, BIS 425, Business Systems Applications, BIS 667, e-Business Systems for e-Commerce, and MBA 609, Information Systems Management. SAP Process Integration Certification Academy CMU’s SAP University Alliance Program was again selected by SAP America to offer certification for students in an SAP University Alliance Program called “Process Integration Certification Academy.” This will be the fourth year of CMU hosting this academy. This specially designed program is tailored for the business major. The academy ran May 5 through May 16, 2003 and was held in the DOW/SAP Learning Lab in Grawn Hall. The academy had 15 participants with a majority of them being MIS majors. All of the individuals received the opportunity to: Upon the completion and passing of the certification exam each of the participants receives a certificate of certification from SAP America. More information regarding the academy and pictures are available on the SAP University Alliance Program web site at http://sapua.cba.cmich.edu. Dr. Anil Kumar Dr. Smart started in Fall 2002. Dr. Smart received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. He came here from Brigham Young University where he was an assistant professor. He currently teaches BIS 104, Computers in Society, BIS 288, Business Computer Graphics, and BIS 360, Business Communications. • Process Integration Application Fundamentals • Participate in the academy designed to expose students to state of the art software that focuses on integrated applications in a windows environment • Receive special process integration certification preparation for the exam • Sit for the specialized Process Integration “SAP Certification Exam” • Enhance marketability through the acquisition of specialized emerging skills. Dr. Karl Smart Ms. Xu started in Fall 2002. Ms. Xu is finalizing her dissertation from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She came here from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She currently teaches BIS 221, Computers in Business I, BIS 422, Database Management Systems, and BIS 638, Database Management for Business Systems. Ms. Hongjiang Xu

5. BIS.e.Times: Volume 2, Number 2. Spring 2003. Page 5 2003 BIS Scholarship Winners Many Thanks to the Following Individuals and Companies for Sponsoring the BIS Department and its Organizations On April 4, 2003 the BIS department was pleased to award 39 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students. The following students were awarded: Association for Information Technology Professionals Crowe, Chizak, and Company LLP Frank Andera James Cappel Tyler and Jodie Clayton Roger Hayen Monica Holmes Elizabeth Kemm Joseph Woloszyn Discretionary Account Kandy Bauer Linda Blackledge Judith Brankel Catherine Cameron-Heldt Dick and Audrey Featheringham Lois Ann Tedhams Larry and Judy Thomas John Ziegler Ima Chambers Scholarship Wells and Lois Cook Edna (McCliggott) Diehe Larry and Judy Thomas MIS Advisory BoardAuto-Owners Insurance Company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Delphi Corporation The Dow Chemical Company Eli Lilly Corporation Valassis, Inc. Amy S. Courter Lynn A. Eady Kevin L. Garner Sean M. Guitar Mari Gunderson Tarra A. Vacca James J. Whyte MIS EndowmentEdward and Nedia Fisher Dale and Joann Gust Roger Hayen James Scott and Claudette Schafer Cindy Vautrin Jason Coats Benjamin Goward Jamie Ohlrich Amber Marentette The IMA CHAMBERS SCHOLARSHIP was established by donations from alumni and friends in loving memory of Ima Chambers, a former faculty member and chairperson of the BIS department. This year, the recipients are: The DAMON P. LINDLEY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD was established by family and friends of Damon P. Lindley, an executive of Wyandotte Cement Corporation. This year, the recipients are: The WILLIAM WOHLGAMUTH SCHOLARSHIP was established by Douglas and Carol Rearick in loving memory of Dr. William Wohlgamuth, a former teacher of the BIS department. This year, the recipients are: Lorie Pajot Lazina Tarin William Vendt Ankita Bandi Katie Bien Peterson Bwoma Craig Cunningham Tarun Damodaran Benjamin Goward John Griffith Crystal Haswell Bhargav Jani Dangdong Lu Amber Marentette Ianna McLean Pritish Mehta Jamie Ohlrich Jia-Long Own Lorie Pajot Aditya Pancholi Parthiv Patel Alicia Rozak Holly Sherman William Vendt The MIS ENDOWMENT STUDENT AWARD was established in 1999 by the BIS department faculty. It is awarded annually to an undergraduate or graduate student with an MIS major, giving preference to members of the Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP). This year, the recipients are: The CROWE, CHIZEK AND COMPANY LLP OUTSTANDING STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP has been established for outstanding students majoring in MIS, Computer Science, or Logistics. This year, the recipient is: William Vendt Congratulations to all of the recipients! Ankita Bandi Pierre Bowrin

6. BIS.e.Times: Volume 2, Number 2. Spring 2003. Page 6 Tidbits on the MIS Advisory Board Alumni This One’s For You Have you ever wonder what happened to all your CMU friends after they graduated? This is your chance to find out. We are looking for any and all Alum to send us their, or someone elses (with their permission), information. We want to know: What are you doing? What have you done? What will you be doing? What special events have taken place? What special awards have you received? We want to know all about you. So please send us your info and it may be published in the next BIS.e.Times. Send all information to: Dr. Monica C. Holmes 150 E. Bellows Grawn 305 Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 or e-mail her at monica.c.holmes@cmich.edu The MIS Advisory Board would like to congratulate Amy Courter ( pictured in the center), Vice President of Information Technology at Valassis Inc., for receiving the Honorary Alumni Award. Ms. Courter’s contributions to the College of Business Administration through years of service on our MIS Advisory Board have helped to strengthen CMU’s ties with the local business community and helped our graduates to be better prepared for the world of work. The next MIS Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for July 25, 2003. If you are an MIS or MSIS alumni, and would like to attend an MIS Advisory Board meeting, please contact Monica C. Holmes at 989-774-4364 or email her at monica.c.holmes@cmich.edu . Business Information Systems Department Central Michigan University Grawn Hall 305 150 East Bellows Mount Pleasant, MI 48859