Sabbatical Proposal – Dr. Robert L. Horton
Narrative
1. Objectives and Project Plan
A. Describe the sabbatical project objectives
This proposal is part of an effort to establish and maintain an Information Technology
Workforce Initiative (ITWI) as a joint effort managed and directed jointly by faculty from
the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Marquette University.
The mission of this Center will be to “provide a clearinghouse for global IT workforce
research, organizations and activities”.
The two major objectives will be to:
(1) promote IT workforce research and
(2) identify and publicize projects/activities which successfully promote IT careers,
particularly to youth.
Need
Research results, research data, and regional promotional programs regarding the IT
workforce are scattered and diffuse. And yet interest in this area is widespread driven
by
 Low enrollments in academic IT programs
 Predictions of widespread shortages of appropriately trained IT professionals in
the near future
 Changing skill sets for these IT professionals
 Need for strategic planning on the regional, state, national and international level
concerning the IT human resource pipeline for those economies seeking to build
and retain the workforce needed to prosper in the 21st century.
There is a need for a central clearinghouse where individuals and organizations can
identify, access and share information efficiently and collaboratively. The ITWI would
provide an umbrella organization for researchers, educators, and IT professionals to
access and enhance knowledge about IT human resource issues and related activities.
For example,
 IT Enrollment - During the current slow economy, many organizations have
turned to technology related solutions for cost cutting efficiencies but are facing
an ever widening gap between the growing demand for and an insufficient supply
of workers possessing future oriented skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
provides viable demand figures, but there is no consistent data collection on the
IT related degree supply side. Regular monitoring of IT enrollment would help
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organizations plan their IT related workforce needs and help predict and prevent
shortages. As a research center, the ITWI can direct people to reliable data
sources about enrollments and potentially be the source of this data
internationally by developing a collaborative research agenda with the assistance
of grants and affiliate members.

Immigration - The annual battle over the appropriate level of H1B visa’s,
particularly in light of the practice of offshore outsourcing, often is confounded by
a lack of dependable, consistent data regarding the number of available IT
workers both domestically and internationally. The ITWI could assist government
policymakers by providing a reliable source of data concerning skill demand and
supply.

Skills - As technology changes and organizations evolve their business
processes, IT professionals are being asked to expand their deep technical skill
sets to include business domain and project management skills. Yet there is also
a current need for mainframe skills. The ITWI could foster projects that determine
the level and depth of technical skills needed in particular technologies on a
regional basis.
Areas of Interest to ITWI would include:
 IT Research
o Continue current IT Workforce Skills and Hiring Project
o Monitor Enrollment and Demand data
 Youth – Promote successful science, technology, engineering, math (STEM)
activities
 Internships – Post opportunities; Advise students and organizations
 Career Advising – Entry level, Specializations, In Transition, Retirement
 Training – Opportunities, Certifications
 Environmental/Energy Technology Research, Skill Training and Career Advising
 Health Informatics research, Skill Training and Career Advising
 Organization Connections – e.g. SIM, ITAWi, ITAA, ACM, NCWIT, AITP, AIS,
National Girls’ Collaborative, Project Lead the Way, Microsoft, Kern Family
Foundation
This proposal targets how to provide a central resource for organizations (government,
business firms, service providers, K-12 and higher education, professional
organizations) and individuals to find information about the IT profession. It could also
support research and activities to enhance the profession.
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B. Detail the procedures to be used to accomplish each objective
This initiative is currently a joint effort between Dr. Kaiser, Marquette University (who
will serve as Director) and myself (Assistant Director). Planning for this initiative has
taken place over the past two years and has been encouraged by a number of senior
level IT professionals and IT professional societies on a national basis. As a result, the
following items are already in place. These have been achieved through a loose
confederation of volunteers and key leaders but without a centralized administration of
support.
(1) Research Objective
A key component of the ITWI will be the IT Workforce research team which has been
sponsored by the Society for Information Management (SIM) for the past 4 years. This
team currently consists of eight researchers and practitioners and has published results
from two IT skill data collection efforts. The next IT skill data collection is scheduled for
the summer of 2010 and would provide a deliverable for the ITWI to garner support. Dr.
Kaiser has been the project manager for this project since 2005. The team consists of:
Cynthia Beath
University of Texas Austin
Christine V. Bullen Stevens Institute of Technology
Keith Frampton
The Mario Group
Kevin P. Gallagher Northern Kentucky University
Time Goles
Texas A&M International University
Stephen Hawk
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Judy Simon
University of Memphis
(2) Youth Project/Activities Objective
 I have been chair of a group of IT leaders and educators which has held iFairs
throughout the Milwaukee area at both corporate and school sites. The purpose
of these iFairs is to expose middle and high school students to the excitement of
IT careers. Over the past three years, seven of these iFairs have been held
involving over 40 organizations and 3300 middle/high school students and their
teachers and counselors.
 I am also on the Board of PoweredUp, a Madison based group which sponsors a
wide range of activities that promote IT careers.
 For the past two years, the ITBE Department at UW-W has sponsored a
Cybergirlz summer camp to promote IT careers among area middle school
females.
These are all successful programs which are ready to be disseminated though the ITWI
to an international audience.
(3) Governance
A partial IT Workforce Advisory Board has been formed including:
Tom Ferratt
University of Dayton
Joytsana Garg
Global Agiliti
Fred Niederman
St. Louis University
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Eileen Trauth
The Pennsylvania State University
Van Walling
WISTEM
Walt Wojcik
Infosys
Phil Zweig
Z-Sharp
Additional government policymakers, IT service providers and client/buyer firm
representatives will be sought to serve on this Board to guide the initiative’s activities.
(4) Marquette Support
To work on this initiative, Dr. Kaiser has received a sabbatical from Marquette University
for the spring (2010) and has sought summer support (2010) though Marquette’s Big
Ideas Innovation Fund. She has also asked for a one course teaching load reduction for
2010-2011.
(5) Society for Information Management Support
SIM is “a national association of senior IT executives, prominent scholars, selected
consultants and other IT thought leaders”. Both Dr. Kaiser and myself are Board
members of the Wisconsin SIM chapter. This proposal has been discussed with the
National Executive Director and with the National Vice President for Academic Affairs
for SIM who were both enthusiastic about SIM being a strong supporter of and
collaborator in this effort.
Remaining Initial Tasks to Launch Initiative:
(1) Presence
The ITWI will have a virtual international presence using a web site designed to give
visitors access to different types of research about the IT workforce. This would likely
involve subtopic tracks surrounding such areas as university enrollments, immigration,
skills, gender, outsourcing and specific industry related research such as healthcare.
This site needs to be designed, built and maintained. There needs to be ongoing
support for a part time Webmaster.
(2) Funding
Initial funding will be used to build and sustain the web site, promote the initiative and
engage membership.
Funding sources will include:
 Relevant government and foundation grants. A partial list of potential grant
opportunities has been compiled
 Annual memberships for affiliates. There would be different levels of affiliation for
organizations, individuals and students
 Event Revenue. SIM currently sponsors a Global Sourcing Event at Marquette
which could be administered by ITWI. CIO expert strategy panels is another
potential revenue source, currently managed by Dr. Kaiser, which could fall
under the auspices of this initiative.
 Training Opportunities. Talks are currently underway to form a partnership with a
large Milwaukee based insurance company to provide leadership training for
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community organizations. A research team would monitor before and after
experiences involving IT professionals
(3) Governance
Solicit additional IT Workforce Advisory Board members.
C. Provide a schedule for the use of time
My time during Fall semester 2010 will be devoted to the following four main initiative
areas:
(1) Funding. The current most pressing need of this initiative is funding and the most
critical resource required for acquiring funding is time. With her spring sabbatical and
anticipated summer support, Dr. Kaiser will take the early lead in grant writing and
seeking support. I will continue and follow up on these activities.
(2) Presence. The initiative web site is scheduled to be built during this time period. The
site will be implemented and become operational in a gradual manner using a priority
system. As various pieces/tracks/functionality of the site get rolled out, it is anticipated
that content will be available to be distributed internationally. Thus the site will have its
most important features available to researchers and practitioners as quickly as
possible and will always be a work in progress.
(3) Launch the Initiative. This initiative is scheduled to be launched in the fall of 2010 by
a variety of promotional activities, including
 Announcements/talks at targeted IT conferences including ACM, ECIS, PACIS,
AmCIS, SIMposium and ICIS
 Partnerships with professional computing societies to distribute promotional
materials to their memberships
 Distributing promotional material though the initiative’s extensive list of
professional contacts
Two of the objectives of these kickoff activities will be to solicit collaborators who can
provide content on an international level as well as promoting affiliation memberships.
(4) Governance. Continue to solicit membership in the IT Workforce Advisory Board.
Hold the first Board meeting in the Fall to formally adopt a mission/vision statement and
a set of goals and objectives for the initiative.
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E. Grants to be submitted
A partial list of grants to be submitted includes:
 NSF Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships
 NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12)
 NSF CISE Pathways to Revitalized Undergraduate Computer Education
(CPATH)
 NSF Computer Science – A Growing Field That Needs a Few (More) Good
Women
 NSF Broadening Participation in Computing(BPC)
 NSF International Research and Education: Planning Visits and Workshops
 Kern Family Foundation
 State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
 State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce
2. Rationale for the Project
A. How the activity will make a better scholar teacher
The ITWI will impact both teaching and research. This initiative will be a breeding
ground for projects that marry research and practice by directing an international
audience to a unique offering of resources for studying and deploying staffing models
for organizations and career development for individuals. It will encourage innovation by
sponsoring research efforts and activities/events.
Thus UW-W faculty will have current information and best practices concerning changes
in skill sets, placement, enrollment and career development activities and events readily
available. Not only will this encourage collaboration on international research projects
but will also provide viable data for driving informed teaching enhancements and
curriculum development.
A good example, is the IT Workforce research team, already in place. This team has a
four year proven record of delivering outcomes describing the changing required skill
sets of IT professionals. These publications have influenced curriculum changes at
many universities
An associated direct benefit is being able to advise current and prospective students
using current information regarding skill sets and employment demand.
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B. Long term professional plans
This initiative is the next logical step for the work I have done over the past ten years in
promoting IT careers, particularly among youth. It is also the next logical step for the
work Dr. Kaiser has been doing over a similar period regarding IT workforce
development issues on both a regional and national scale. By combining efforts,
resources, industry contacts, and partner organizations, we believe that we can build a
unique resource to assist our own institutions and others achieve academic excellence
in the IT field.
As I come to the close of a long academic career (including 28 years at UW-W) my plan
would be to make this initiative operational and use it as a platform into gradual
retirement, ultimately handing the Assistant Directorship over to a junior colleague and
leaving UW-W with an internationally recognized strategic resource for IT workforce
development..
C. Relationship to Goals or Priorities
By emphasizing collaborative research findings regarding IT skill sets and
demand/supply of the IT workforce on an international level, this proposal aligns closely
with the (1) Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, (2) Collaborative Program Activities
and (3) International Education areas of emphasis established by the Board of Regents
for sabbatical proposals for 2010-2012.
This proposal also closely matches the university’s Strategic Plan goals of (I) Programs
and Learning, by assisting in informed curricular development and (IV) Regional
Engagement, by assisting in the IT workforce economic development of the state.
In addition the MCS goals regarding (1) continuing the excellence of the undergraduate
program, (2) effectively managing and enhancing industry partnerships, (3) fostering
external partnerships for economic and workforce development and (4) encourage
international experiences and collaboration will also be enhanced.
3.Project Evaluation
A. How the activity will be evaluated
At the end of the Fall 2010 semester, this initiative will just barely be launched and only
the rudimentary elements of the web site will be in place. So, perhaps the best
evaluation at that point, will come from the IT Workforce Advisory Board. As part of their
first meeting in the Fall, the Board will engage in a formal evaluation exercise including,
rating the quality of the overall project and its individual steps to date and gathering
short and long term planning goals.
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