Dr. Michael Wells, associate professor of information systems & technology, is on a roll. In the last year and a half, Dr. Wells has secured more than $1.5 million dollars in external funding through the creation of two university-industry partnerships, with much of the money going toward paying the undergraduate computer and information science interns who participate in the programs. "These types of projects are winners for all participants: industry partners, the university, faculty, and, most importantly, students," says Dr. Wells.
The first partnership began in January 2006 with the creation of the Brown Technology Campus Cooperative (BTCC), a collaboration between the university and Brown Printing Company in Waseca, Minnesota. Dr. Wells negotiated a 3-year contract with Brown to provide paid student interns to help the company develop and test their printing software.
Chad Vidden, a BTCC intern and mathematics major and CIS minor, says the program offers students a chance to apply what they've learned in class. "The projects that we work on directly reflect and model the printing process, and it is easy to see where our work will be put into place," says Chad. "It is the real-world experience that makes this project so valuable."
Following the successful startup of the BTCC, Dr. Wells established a second partnership, called Project Maverick, in August 2006 with Maverick Software Consulting and Thomson West, a leader in legal information publishing and owner of the Westlaw research system.
Maverick Software Consulting acts as an intermediary between Thomson West and the university and directly oversees and evaluates the students' work before submitting it to Thomson West.
Martin Hebig, President of Maverick Software Consulting, has been impressed with what he's seen. "The students' work ethic is outstanding," he says. "They are eager to get into a real world work environment where they can roll up their sleeves and get the job done."
The quality of the student interns has also impressed Thomson West. "In a span of less than one year, Thomson West signed a contractual agreement with Maverick Software Consulting to be their exclusive client, increased the student work force by 60% (10 to 16), and hired the first two graduates of Project Maverick to full time information systems positions," says Dr. Wells.
But the benefits to the students stretch farther than Thomson West or Brown. "In addition to the corporate partners," says Dr. Wells, "other organizations that regularly recruit our information systems majors have become aware of these projects and are actively recruiting their participants."
The high quality of the university's students not withstanding, neither program would exist if not for the vision of Dr. Wells. "He has been very committed to this project and to providing unique opportunities to students in the computer and information science department to gain valuable skills and experience beyond traditional classroom training," says Anna Grecco, senior director of technology at Thomson West. "Dr. Wells is an advocate and a champion for experiential learning."
Chad Vidden agrees with Ms. Grecco. "I have worked with Dr. Wells both in the classroom and with the BTCC. In both cases he has been very motivated, helpful, and encouraging."
In addition to providing students with valuable work experience, Dr. Wells is also using the programs to conduct research on university-industry partnerships. In one recent publication, Dr. Wells examined industry preferences for management information systems curricula, and he is using the findings to help develop the curriculum standards of the information systems major in the newly formed Department of Information Systems & Technology.
The two programs and Dr. Wells's personal research all lead toward providing a better undergraduate experience for the university's information systems students.
"It's been a lot of fun," says Martin Hebig. "The students really know what they are doing. They have a great attitude, are willing to learn, and have been a complete blast to work with. What more could you ask for?"