SU’s School of Information Studies selected as a partner institution in prestigious federal CIO University program

SU’s School of Information Studies selected as a partner institution in prestigious federal CIO University programApril 26, 2002Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

The General Services Administration (GSA) and the Chief Information Officers Council have selected the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University as a partner institution of the federal government’s prestigious CIO University program.

CIO University is a virtual consortium of universities that offer graduate-level programs specifically designed to address the educational needs of information technology professionals in the federal government. Programs offered by CIO University partners are consistent with the requirements adopted by the Federal Chief Information Officers Council. Other universities involved in the program are Carnegie Mellon University, George Mason University, George Washington University and the University of Maryland.

“The CIO Council and the GSA are pleased to partner with Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies,” says Gloria Ward-Ravenell, program manager of CIO University. “SU is an educational institution renowned for its teaching in information technology. We look forward to a long association that results in the government’s effective use of information technology to deliver agency outcomes.”

The School of Information Studies was selected as a partner institution based on the strength of the school’s Washington, D.C. -based programs-the Master of Science in Information Management, Specialization in Government and the Certificate in Strategic Information Management in the Federal Government. Scott Bernard, a 1998 graduate of the Information Management Program, directs the D.C. programs, which are taught through the University’s Greenberg House. Bernard is a retired Navy pilot who also works as an information technology management consultant in Washington, D.C.

“The GSA is looking at ways to promote training of mid- and senior-level IT executives,” Bernard says. “Those who complete a certificate or master’s degree program at one of the participating universities also receive a CIO University certificate, which is a highly coveted recognition for people working in the federal government.”

Initially founded in 1991 as a series of executive management and development workshops for federal employees, the school’s Washington, D.C., programs have attracted students from all sectors of the federal government, including the State Department, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Justice, Department of Defense and Treasury Department, and from all branches of the military, including the U.S. Coast Guard. The work these SU graduates do affects every person in the United States.

In 1995, the School of Information Studies and the National Defense University Information Resources Management College (NDU) signed a cooperative agreement that enables federal employees who complete NDU’s Advanced Management Program or the Chief Information Officer Certificate to waive a maximum of 15 credits in the school’s Information Management Master’s Program. The CIO University partnership will draw a broader scope of federal government IT professionals to the school’s D.C. program, Bernard says.

The School of Information Studies at Syracuse University is a leading center for innovative programs in information policy, information behavior, information management, information systems, information technology and information services. The school has professional degree programs at the undergraduate and master’s levels and a research degree at the doctoral level. The school also has a distance education program at the graduate level.

Officially chartered in 1870 as a private, coeducational institution of higher education, Syracuse University is a leading student-centered research university. Syracuse’s 11 schools and colleges share a common mission: to promote learning through teaching, research, scholarship, creative accomplishment and service while embracing the core values of quality, caring, diversity, innovation and service. The 680-acre campus is home to more than 18,000 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 90 countries.