Recognizing the Value of the Industry Advisory Board

One of the distinguishing factors of Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) program is its Industry Advisory Board (IAB). The IAB was created in 1998 so the program could keep a pulse on the latest trends facing the industry, as well as understanding what top IT leaders looked for in prospective hires. 

The goals of the IAB are straightforward: 

• Ensure the program continues to address industry needs
• Perform regular review of the program’s curriculum and course offerings for relevance and usefulness
• Develop and implement strategic plans
• Assist in program promotion, marketing, and recruitment

IAB members are a resource to the program as well as its students, who gain access to these industry leaders and can turn to them for coaching, mentoring, and occasionally employment.

Today, the IAB is made up of 16 IT leaders from a variety of industries, each with their own unique perspectives and experiences relating to what IT is and what it can be for an organization. Each IAB member has more than 20 years of experience in the field and is respected for their thought leadership and ability to understand not only what the IT field needs now, but moving forward.

Recently, six IAB members talked about how IT has changed during their careers, the role IT plays in business today, and the benefits the IAB brings to the MSIT community.  

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Brett Bernstein (MSIT '01), vice president of data at Brad's Deals: "The simplest way to describe recent technology evolution is to look at what is considered 'table-stakes' today that was either bleeding-edge or not even just five to 10 years ago, and then, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of both technologies and business practices at a rate that we have never seen before."

Pramod Sadalage (MSIT '20), director of data and DevOps at ThoughtWorks: "The introduction of cloud technologies and focus on data have allowed businesses to innovate at a much faster rate."  

Bernstein: "Five years ago, it would have been a challenge for many companies to maintain operations as they did during the pandemic. Ten years ago, it might have been impossible."

George Miller, group vice president for Gartner Consulting: "Technology used to be an IT group with a budget. Now, every budget is a technology budget. Technology is a fundamental lever that enables every function of the business to operate."

Todd Fitzgerald, vice president of cybersecurity strategy for Cybersecurity Collaborative: "Today, technology is an integral part of any organization to understand and manage customers, suppliers, operations, and increase revenues through better decision-making."

Dimitra N. Kane (MSIT '99), IT enterprise architecture consultant: "This digital transformation that changed the business landscape is due to ubiquitous data, unlimited connectivity, and massive processing power. In business, ubiquitous data provides the capability to know who your customer is and what they want, unlimited connectivity capabilities provide immediate access to digital information anytime without delay, and unlimited processing power interprets the data to provide business with the necessary information to make effective decisions." 

Miller: "Technology and the use of technology is evolving at an exponential pace. First-hand knowledge of these changes is critical to ensure the MSIT program is keeping pace with, and ultimately staying ahead of, the market."

Sadalage: "Having working professionals on the IAB allows MSIT to gain a better understanding of the trends in the industry and allows for feedback and guidance."

Bernstein: "One of the key purposes of the IAB is to advise the program on different ways to evolve the curriculum in order to keep it relevant and meaningful for today's IT professional." 

Kane: "We bring to the table the knowledge and experience of current industry  business requirements and technology capabilities that are required for an MSIT graduate to be successful."  

Kevin Glynn, managing principal at The Laminar Group: "Trends shift. We want the course material to reflect what's happening in the market today. This will help our students get promoted faster."  

Bernstein: In addition to curriculum guidance and general program support, the IAB plays a crucial role in supporting students through networking. The range of industries and experiences represented across the IAB means that MSIT students have strong resources to turn to."

Glynn: "MSIT's IAB is rather unique, and we want more people in the MSIT program to take advantage of the Board's expertise. You won't find a Board like this in other programs at other universities."