Des Moines Register
07-30-07
ISU, businesses unite to reverse trend in field
By KAREN MRACEK
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER
Looking for a non-geeky information technology profession? Well, they may also
be looking for you.
Enrollment for degrees in management information systems, or MIS, is falling at
Iowa State University and other colleges across the nation. But officials say the
demand for workers is still there.
"A lot of recruiters aren't finding the talent that they need," said Brian Mennecke,
associate professor of MIS at ISU.
The Ames university and some of Iowa's largest employers are working together
to make MIS training more attractive to students: They're adding classes, offering
a better Web site and taking a new look at the curriculum.
Technology is changing the way companies do business - from blogs to ecommerce. Even nontech companies are trying to keep up. Companies continue
to look for ways to help grow their business, and more often than not, that means
finding new technology.
MIS employees have to have technical skills. Also, they need communication,
problem-solving and people skills, unlike some other computer-related fields.
"You need to be able to interface with people," Mennecke said. "Employers do
want the technical side, but they also like the fact that they come out of school
with some knowledge of business."
Heather Mitchell spearheads Hy-Vee's efforts to interest students in a career in
the field.
The systems analyst has been in contact with just about every high school in the
company's operating territory, and she answers questions about the field for
juniors and seniors.
"The stereotype is that it is just sitting in a cubicle and not moving," she said. "But
it is very interactive."
Mitchell was drawn to the field because of the challenges it presents each day
and the opportunity to help others do their job better.
"Communication is essential," she said. "Communicating with the end-user on
what they want is sometimes hard in the development phase, but once they can
see it and use it, they will have feedback about what works and what doesn't."
Ann Sandve, vice president of technology at Principal Financial Group, agreed.
She serves on the board of advisers for the MIS department at ISU.
"If you understand more about business, you will have an easier time
communicating with your business colleagues," she said.
In 1999, approximately 650 to 700 students were enrolled in the MIS program at
ISU. Half of them were women. The program will have 200 majors when classes
start this fall, and only 15 of them - or 7.5 percent - are women.
"We really started to notice it three or four years ago," Mennecke said.
Dawn Laux, who is pursuing her doctorate in human computer interaction at Iowa
State University, isn't surprised by the decline.
"There is sometimes a stigma attached to it, and it starts in middle school and
high school," she said.
Laux has an undergraduate degree in business and a masters in MIS. Her
master's thesis explored the organizational acceptance of biometric machines,
such as the touch-to-pay system launched at several Hy-Vee stores earlier this
year.
Now, she is looking at the issue from the consumer's side.
"The one thing I always found interesting in my field is the human side," Laux
said. "I have always liked the behavioral side of it, helping people see the
usability."
Jobs for computer and information systems managers are expected to grow
faster than the average of other occupations through the year 2014, according to
the 2006-2007 Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
Demand for MIS graduates was at an all-time high in 2000, as companies
prepared for the Y2K issue. This is also when the industry saw a surge of
outsourcing.
"It is probably a lot like what happened to manufacturers in the '80s," Mennecke
said. "There was a rush to move overseas. The myth that the jobs aren't out
there has been perpetuated for too long."
Shortly after layoffs occurred in 2001, after the Y2K buildup and Sept. 11,
companies realized the value that information technology professionals bring to
their industries, said Eric Smith, vice president of MIS for Hy-Vee Inc., which
employs 79 people in its information technology department.
"As demand turned back up, enrollment was still going down," said Smith, who
currently fills Hy-Vee's seat on the ISU MIS advisory board. "Interest seems to
lag behind demand, both on the upswing and down.
"This is due to how quickly word spreads, relaying an accurate picture of the job
market, and the fact that it takes at least four years to obtain a bachelor's
degree."
Earnings for computer and information systems managers vary by specialty and
level of responsibility. The average salary for MIS professionals in May 2004 was
$92,570. The middle 50 percent was paid between $71,650 and $118,330,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"These positions offer great pay and hours," Smith said. "They are also very
intrinsically rewarding due to their intellectually challenging nature."
Iowa State's MIS program is trying to fight some the stereotypes with some new
marketing initiatives. The college has launched a new, trendier Web site:
www.amiyes.org. (The name "Am I? Yes!" is phonetically MIS.)
To generate more interest in the field, Laux suggests starting to reach out to kids
sooner, "and not just with all the gadgety things," Laux said.
Schools also have to reach out to women by stressing the different jobs
available. "I think women are looking for what they can do in society to make a
difference, that uses technology," she said.
ISU also is trying to downplay the technical side of the business. Students will
still get a heavy dose of core-skills training, but the college is considering
curriculum changes, like moving the programming class out of the first year of
studies.
Principal will teach a class through ISU's MIS department to help students
understand the range of jobs in the field and the different roles professionals
play. The course will be offered to juniors this fall.
"I hope they take away the fact that coding isn't the only thing that is important,"
Sandve said.
Hy-Vee's Mitchell tells young women who might be interested that "if you like
putting puzzles together, that's what IT is all about, and the end result is really
rewarding because you get to help make someone else's job easier."
It's not all about the computer
Information systems managers need a broad range of skills - a keen
understanding of people, processes and customers' needs. In addition to
technical skills, employers need managers with strong business savvy.
Other "soft" skills that are necessary are the ability to:
- Understand how to organize information and analyze user needs.
- Design and evaluate systems that allow for efficient and effective user
interaction.
- Provide and assure the quality and value of information to decision-makers.
- Understand the economic and social environment in which their organization
functions.
- Be familiar with relevant issues in law, economics, ethics and management.
Assistant Business Editor Karen Mracek can be reached at (515) 284-8531 or
kmracek@dmreg.com