Brains for IT: how colleges are meeting the demand for information-technology education.

• Author: Mckimmie, Kathy
• Position: Information Technology

Indiana's colleges and universities are responding in a variety of creative ways to meet the fast-changing technological demands of business, consumers and government. Some have created new majors, some are cross-pollinating among departments, injecting high doses of information technology into traditionally low-tech curriculum. And one is answering the call to train for careers in the burgeoning computer security area, post 9/11. Here's a sampling of what seven of them are concentrating on now.

Indiana State University is the first state institution to have a four-year degree in information technology, says Nicholas Farha, visiting associate professor in the Department of Electronics and Computer Technology. "The IT program is cross-discipline in three different departments," he says. His department, Computer Science, and the MIS department within the School of Business all contribute to the curriculum to give students a well-rounded education. Students must elect one of four specialized tracks: database administration, network administration, Web development or software development.

"IT is one of the very few areas in academia that's driven by industry," says Farha. "It doesn't happen in math or biology or things like that.

It's unique to this field." The Internet has changed everything, he stresses from the way we shop to the way we bank to the way we communicate. That makes Web development one of the hottest career choices that will only grow, he says. "Some of the highest-paid people are Web-development people, and the job didn't exist 10 years ago."

The same cross-discipline approach is stressed at the University of Evansville, where the state's first bachelor's degree in Internet technology was created in 2001, allowing students to access courses from computer science, business and mass communication. In fact, it may be the only one in the country, says Robert Morse, professor of computer science and director of Internet technology. "I don't know of anyone who has a degree such as this at the undergraduate level." Forty students are now enrolled; the first student will graduate this year.

"As a liberal-arts college we want students to be exposed to many areas, go with what really excites them," says Morse. The program was intended to provide a generalist degree, but he's finding that once enrolled many students become fascinated with a particular specialty area and switch majors. Internet technology may become a minor.

Evansville's...