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Learning in 360: Technically Entrepreneurs

Fall 2006: Technology

by Kristin Todd

In today’s rapidly evolving business world, it is essential for companies to harness technological innovation to better serve society and consumers’ needs. That is exactly Greg Leman’s vision for his Technology Entrepreneurship class. With a class consisting of multidisciplinary students, project teams are assigned a company to collaborate with in order to market new technology, test its feasibility or solve technical problems.

Leman serves as the director of University Entrepreneurial Initiatives and is the Curtis Hankamer Chair in Entrepreneurship. Through his Technology Entrepreneurship class, students become company consultants, integrating technological innovation with problem solving strategies to evaluate and tackle market challenges.

“The mission of this class is to equip a wide spectrum of Baylor graduates with confident skills in the entrepreneurial process,” Leman said. “It involves opportunity recognition and assessment; creating, adapting and deploying diverse resources; and developing leadership that drives value creation.”

Leman said his class, first offered in the spring of 2006, was designed to be the second course in a two-course sequence, with new classes designed as prerequisites. The faces of Leman’s class are engineering and business undergraduates, as well as MBA candidates.

“The mix of students is essential to the concept of the course,” he said. “Commercial success with new technologies almost by definition requires collaboration between technical people and business people. I am deliberately trying to give the students a ‘dose’ of how it will work once they graduate.”

Since the class was new, Leman had to remain aware that students who did not complete the prerequisites might need to be caught up to speed.

“The challenges of a cross-disciplinary group will lessen due to the preparation of more juniors taking the Innovation and Change Management class and engineering and computer science students taking the Global Business and Communication course,” he said.

A difficult concept of technological commercialization is persuading society to acknowledge it has an unmet need. Leman said in many cases, new technology being offered is difficult to market because the idea may only be conceptual.

“Think of iPods,” he said. “Until they existed, along with all the downloading sites, we didn’t know we ‘needed’ them. Yet, the market for them now is enormous.”

Teams of three or four students are assigned projects at the beginning of each semester. The teams meet with company representatives to assess technical opportunities and initialize the commercialization process. The projects are then presented to the client companies at the end of the semester.

“The class trains students in the whole process of commercialization for situations where there exists an ongoing interplay between defining the market and defining the technology,” Leman said.

Leman said he considers several factors when selecting companies for students to work with.

“Most importantly, the company must be doing some kind of commercialization with technology,” he said. “Secondly, the issue has to be a problem that is very important to the company without being the centerpiece of its core strategy. Thirdly, I am looking for situations where we can readily stay connected.”

Leman said the effectiveness of the projects depends on the state of development for both the company’s emerging technology and definable market. A company in need of defining both factors is the best bet.

“If the technical aspects are completely understood, and it is simply a market study for a particular segment, it may be very “high tech” but not what I’m looking for,” he said. “On the other side, if the market need is well-documented, and the sole need is an engineering solution, then there is much less demand for disciplinary interplay.”

Leman encourages maximum interaction with chosen companies to achieve a successful outcome.

“A team meeting at the beginning of the semester and a final report at the end is not enough,” he said. “This means we have to find Central Texas companies, or have good access to collaboration tools online to compensate for distance.”

Shama Blaney, a graduate student, worked on a project for iCyt Visionary Bioscience, Inc. last semester. The company specializes in innovative technology and science solutions. She and her teammates focused on potential markets for iCyt’s emerging technology.

“We looked at alternatives for using the technology in the forms of nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals and rapid prototyping,” she said.

Although the company was not local, students working on the project were given the opportunity to visit the company’s headquarters.

“We got to fly to Illinois to make a company visit,” Blaney said. “It was interesting to see the technology they had there, and see how our research would apply.”

Another team of students worked with PolySpec, a supplier of coatings and linings. PolySpec caters to an international market by providing products for construction and corrosion protection for commercial, industrial, institutional and marine purposes.

Leman said students analyzed opportunity and intellectual property strategies to define a new insulation product produced by PolySpec. He used university connections to establish a partnership with the company through Baylor alumnus, Buddy Ellisor.

“PolySpec owner, Buddy Ellisor, was introduced to me through Dr. Bill Petty and the development office,” he said. “As I learned more about their business and how much they are doing to bring new technologies to market, I realized they would make a great sponsor.”

The projects have proven to be beneficial to both students and participating companies.

“In general, the companies were very pleased with the results, and the students all told me not to take the company project aspect away from the course,” Leman said.

Leman’s vision for a hands-on, pragmatic class seems to be contagious.

“I have gained invaluable knowledge and experience,” said Leah Richter, a senior engineering student. “I now have a greatly increased respect for successful technology entrepreneurs. It has also changed my perspective of the design process as an engineer.”

Leman hopes to produce exceptional leaders through the combination of global and cultural competence; science and technology insight; and business savvy–all built on a Baylor foundation of Christian ethics and integrity. Students also learn to appreciate each others’ strengths while working toward their project goal.

“This course allows you to showcase your business expertise while experiencing the dynamics of cross-functional teamwork in a real-world setting,” said Katie Prichard, a senior entrepreneurship student.

The Technology Entrepreneurship class is still undergoing changes to address issues and establish a more effective class.

“The main obstacle we have seen is that expectations have to be very well managed through the whole process,” he said.

Leman said he is also planning to expand the program overseas next summer to respond to the demands for a balance of global, technical and business competencies.

“The reality of technology commercialization in today’s world is that it is a global process,” he said. “We now have agreements in place at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology to launch next summer. Shanghai is one of the world’s most vigorous technically entrepreneurial environments, and is one of the cultures our graduates will most likely interact with.”

As for future plans, Leman, who has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, is working with faculty in the Department of Chemistry to make it easier to add chemistry students to his mix of team members. The class structure and curriculum requires constant modifications to accommodate evolving technology and business strategies.

“This is simply a step of ongoing effort to make the course accessible and meaningful to technical students from all specific disciplines over time.”

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006

Alumni News

Fall 2006: Technology

1968

David Grigsby, BBA, has recently been named interim dean of Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1982.

1975

Martin K. Scirratt, BBA, was recently promoted to vice president of sales for Administaff, Inc., the nation’s leading Professional Employer Organization. Scirratt joined Administaff in 1999 as a sales consultant in Dallas. He has since held several management positions within the organization. In 2003, he was promoted to managing director of sales performance improvement. Prior to joining Administaff, Scirratt served as vice president and production manager for Countrywide Credit Industries, and is experienced in Fortune 100 banking in the Texas market. Scirratt also earned a master’s degree in divinity/theology from Southwestern Theological Seminary.

1984

Craig Underwood , BBA, Certified Gemologist Appraiser and president of Fayetteville-based Underwood’s Fine Jewelers has been elected President of the American Gem Society’s International Board of Directors. Prior to taking the reigns as president, Underwood served as Chairman of the American Gem Society Diamond Standards Committee, Chairman of the International Task Force for Fancy Diamond Cut Grading, and Chairman of the American Gem Society Lab Gemological Committee. The Task Force for Fancy Cut Grading was formed to evaluate and develop a diamond cut grade system designed to analyze and evaluate the light performance of various diamond shapes – a first in the diamond industry. Underwood assumes the presidency nearly 20 years after his father, William Underwood, CGA, founder of Underwood Jewelers, completed his term. Craig is married to Laura (Orsak) Underwood, BA, and they reside in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

1991

Scott A. Nelson, BBA, an attorney with the Law Office of Scott A. Nelson, P.C., was named to Texas Monthly’s 2006 SuperLawyers Rising Stars list.

1992

Bill Arend, BBA, has started a new role managing the mid-market applications business for Oracle Corporation. As regional manager, Arend has a reseller channel and sales team focused on growing Oracle’s application business including JD Edwards, PeopleSoft and Oracle eBusiness Suite. Prior to joining Oracle, Arend managed the Houston area business partners for Microsoft Corporation. Outside of his role with Oracle, Arend serves as chairman for the Greater Houston Partnership’s Emerging Business Council (EBC). The council is part of the Houston region’s economic development, world trade and chamber of commerce. The mission of the EBC is to represent the needs of growth and technology-oriented businesses by fostering opportunities for business development and strategic alliances among and between emerging businesses and large corporations. Mark W. Smith, BBA and MBA, joined Calvetti, Ferguson & Wagner as a partner. CF&W is a Houston-based CPA firm that provides accounting, internal auditing and consulting services, including Sarbanes-Oxley implementation and ongoing compliance.

1997

Lori Coulter, BBA, is president and CEO of her own company, a made-to-order swimsuit business called Lori Coulter. She also has a patent pending on TrueMeasure, the software she uses to customize — and custom-size — her swimsuit designs. After getting her BBA at Baylor, she earned an MBA from Washington University in 1999. She married Kelly Coulter who works in finance for a division of Emerson. They have a young son.

2002

Michael Kabat, BBA and JD, joined the Austin office of McGinnis, Lochridge, & Kilgore, L.L.P. in 2005 as an associate in the firm’s litigation and financial services practice groups. He also recently married Alexis Lorick, who starts law school at St. Mary’s University this fall.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006

Ethics of Invention

Fall 2006: Technology

by Franci Rogers

When Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1866, his intention was that the explosive could be used in construction. As a result of an accident in his lab, he discovered a way to make nitroglycerin safer and less volatile to handle and it could be easily detonated. He envisioned canals being built faster. He knew that blasting rock, drilling tunnels, building railroads and many other forms of heavy labor would become easier. He patented dynamite, as well as 354 other inventions, and became a very wealthy man.

But Nobel was also a pacifist. His views on peace and social justice were considered radical in his era. When his dynamite began to be used in warfare, Nobel was overcome with guilt. The idea of his invention being used to kill drove him to start a trust fund to promote the peaceful use of science. Upon his death, the bulk of his fortune created the Nobel Prize.

The same type questions that plagued Alfred Nobel in the 1800s are still being pondered by inventors today. iCyt Visionary Bioscience Inc., an Illinois company that specializes in innovative cell measurement and handling technologies, was met with an ethical dilemma earlier this year. The company developed a new technology that sorts cells on a very small level. The invention, a flow cytometer, was intended for agricultural purposes, allowing dairy farmers to select the gender of their calves. However, iCyt realized that their invention had broader applications in human in-vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research. Tim Hoerr, CEO of iCyt, contacted his friend Greg Leman, the director of University Entrpreneurialship Initiatives and the Curtis Hankamer Chair in Entrepreneurship at Baylor University.

“The project came about because Tim and I have known each other for almost 20 years, have collaborated on some business consulting and maintained a personal relationship,” Leman said. “After telling him about what we are doing with Technology Entrepreneurship and learning about his progress with new technology, we realized it made sense to assist him with a feasibility study.”

The study became two Focus Firm MBA team projects. The first team researched bioethical issues for the company. Rhett Herron, who graduated from Baylor’s MBA program in May, was the focus firm team leader.

“The biggest road block in our endeavor was the vast abundance of related information,” said Herron. Their first step, he said, was to study the past. They examined the debate surrounding in-vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research from four perspectives: medical, religious, legal and political. “The most important aspect of research was the incorporation of as many perspectives as possible,” Herron said. Faced with so much available information, and with such passionate debate surrounding the issues at hand, Herron said it was surprisingly easy for team members to keep their feelings from interfering with their task. “In our initial meeting, it became evident how little each of us really knew about the specific details surrounding stem cell research,” he said. “From my viewpoint it was easy for the team to separate this project from our personal beliefs. Each member understood the outcome needed to be based on facts and made a concerted effort to remove any personal biases.”

At its conclusion, the focus firm team presented iCyt with a 23-page document, outlining as many sides of the issues as they could. “In doing the research, it became obvious that there is no perfect solution,” said Herron. “In the end, this particular situation boils down to a personal decision by the executives at iCyt. We simply supplied the information to fuel the discussion.”

The second Focus Firm team looked at intellectual property and potential markets for iCyt technologies. Shama Blaney, a second-year student, was a member of that team.

“We also looked at alternatives for using the technology in the forms of nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals and rapid prototyping,” she said. After considering all of the information presented by the Baylor teams, iCyt introduced Reflection in May. They call their invention the most sophisticated droplet cell sorting instrument ever created.

“We are extremely pleased with the partnership we’re enjoying with the institutions and esteemed scientists that represent the pre-commercial release Reflection units,” said Fredrick Molnar, chief Sales, Marketing and Service officer of iCyt. “Full commercial release of the instrument system will take place in late 2006.”

While the invention of new technology can bring about a range of ethical debates, heated debates – and even lawsuits – can occur at the very inception of an idea. Individuals and companies who patent the idea of an invention have come under close scrutiny in recent years. They are no-so-lovingly referred to as patent trolls. These usually small companies obtain intellectual patents on ideas, with no intention of bringing them to fruition on their own. They neither research the technology nor manufacture products. When a larger company does make this technology a reality, the patent troll threatens litigation seeking royalties or other compensation. While many see patent trolls as unethical, what they do is perfectly legal. Patent protection gives an inventor the right to exclude others from making, using and selling the patented invention for the term of the patent. Patent owners are legally entitled to charge any amount they wish as a royalty to anyone that wants to make, use or sell the patented invention. Patent owners are also free not to license or make use of the patent at all. And patents are transferable, so the holder of the patent does not need to be the actual inventor.

Although some see intellectual patent holders as the pejoratively-termed patent trolls, others have a slightly different take on the situation. Many are coming to see these companies as the underdogs: little guys taking on big corporations, and winning. Perhaps the most famous of the recent patent troll tales is that of NTP, nc., the small Virginia company that threatened to shut down e-mail for millions of people when it brought suit against Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM), the maker of BlackBerry. NTP, which has no holdings except for patents, held the patent for the intellectual concept of a wireless e-mail system, a system that RIMM created. Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia Law School, told Slate, “It’s almost like waking up one day to find out that the guy selling hot dogs on Fifth Avenue actually owns the Empire State Building.”

Wu maintains that, although patent trolls are wreaking havoc with the system, they may actually be doing everyone a favor.

“About the best that might be said of trolls like NTP is that they’ve inspired a serious patent-reform debate,” Wu said. And reform, it seems, is needed. Patent examiners are said to be overworked and pressured to move quickly. Perhaps that’s how some inventions come to receive a patent, even though it may be difficult to see how they meet the legal standard of a “non obvious improvement over the prior art.”

Take for example the U.S. patent issued to Martin H. Abbott and Kevin T. Amiss

in 1995. Their invention? A method of inducing aerobic exercise in an unrestrained cat. That’s right: cat exercise. Their abstract reads, “A method for inducing cats to exercise consists of directing a beam of invisible light produced by a hand-held laser apparatus onto the floor or wall or other opaque surface in the vicinity of the cat, then moving the laser so as to cause the bright pattern of light to move in an irregular way fascinating to cats, and to any other animal with a chase instinct.”

So, before Americans weigh in on the ethics of invention, they’ll have to ask themselves if they want to pay a royalty every time Fluffy chases their laser pointer.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006

Research in Action

Fall 2006: Technology

by Kristin Todd

Website Rhetoric

In some cases, appearance is everything. Randall Waller, Baylor Information Systems senior lecturer, definitely agrees.

Waller, who teaches business communication classes, is currently researching how leading global corporations use their Web sites to project an image of solid corporate responsibility. Through incorporating rhetorical and sociological analysis, he reveals what Web sites are really saying to consumers, government regulators and the investment community.

“I started out dealing with crisis communication, but that interest soon evolved into a broader interest in issues management,” he said. “In the last four years or so, Web sites have become the ‘PR voice’ of nearly every major corporation. Each organization has a unique image with a personality that comes through on its Web site.” Waller said he first became interested in Web site analysis after Nike and Coca-Cola came under fire in the late ‘90s. Both companies conducted sophisticated,in-depth campaigns for reputation damage control.Nike enforced crisis management in 1998, after being targeted for its heavy reliance on Asian factories, many of which were portrayed as sweatshops. Unfortunately, the sweatshop scandal case exploded into an international dilemma.

“More and more research shows that today’s public puts a big emphasis on how companies treat employees and the environment,” he said. Waller said companies keep a close eye on their own reputation for corporate social responsibility, or CSR. In his Nike presentation for the 2005 Association of Business Communication Conference (ABC), Waller cited four contributing factors to CSR. Sustainability movement includes environmental issues and protecting it through conservation. The second factor is economic globalization of corporations through management, marketing and design functions. Corporate campaigns and information technology are the final actors.

The discrimination case filed against Coca-Cola in 1999 by a high-profile activist lawyer also captured Waller’s curiosity for how the company would respond, mainly through its Web site. He discussed the company’s communication techniques used in the case in a paper he co-wrote entitled, “The Corporate Website as an Image Restoration Tool,” which was presented at the 2004 ABC International Conference. “The accusations involved racial discrimination and women’s rights,” he said. “Coke had to respond carefully, or they could’ve inflicted permanent damage on the brand. They had to focus really hard on image restoration, and they made superb use of their website.” Corporations use Web sites as portals to reduce the transmission of mixed messages through properly addressing issues at stake and generally presenting the company on the positive side of an issue. Big companies mean big bucks, which takes industry leaders more susceptible to public scrutiny.

“I read the Wall Street Journal and come across articles on continuing controversies affecting corporations in my area of interest almost weekly,” Waller said. “High-profile companies are easy targets and surprisingly vulnerable.” Although the art of rhetoric originated with the Greeks, Waller deems this practice of persuasion applicable to today’s high-tech world. He uses several strategies of translating corporate Web site content into perceivable public ideas.

“I analyze the sites from a number of angles, which brings about different perspectives and valuable insights,” he said. “For instance, impression management focuses on image building, while a technique from sociology called ‘framing’ looks at how a message is specifically positioned for its audience.” As Waller dissects Web sites, he accumulates similarities among them such as establishing a connection with the audience. “These company Web sites are social constructs,” he said. “The messages created for them are always tailored to fit our basic values and public oerceptions.”

Waller points to the role of media in the dissemination of news that holds the ability to sway public opinion, which in turn affects the companies. Through this snowball effect, companies can collect dissenters who create “anti-Web sites” exposing the negative side of companies’ involvement in controversial issues and making sensational allegations against them.

“These Web sites rely, for the most part, on old media sources such as articles from the Washington Post or the New York Times to support their case against a corporation,” he said. “They’re nearly always backed by labor unions or activist groups.” Waller said company and counter Web sites are more influential than we may realize. “You can see the impact of these Web sites if you read closely enough because both sides are tapping into grassroots sentiments,” he said. “People who are opinion leaders and are computer literate have the power to shift the politics of these debates. These people are courted by both sides.” Issues management by company Web sites proves to be an ongoing process that demands constant regulation to support public policy debates.

“The people running these sites are technically and rhetorically savvy,” Waller said. “These sites give us political theater. Each one uses some form of storytelling to make its message vivid and compelling.” The analytical process for the Web sites is anything but simple, demanding a wide array of skills. “I think this is one of the most multidisciplinary things a researcher in my field can do,” he said. “It requires knowledge of the business world, communication theory, ancient and modern rhetoric, sociology, political science and computer technology. But, I think we’re dealing with something in its infancy. Web site communication has the potential to be bigger than TV someday when it comes to public policy debates.”

The man has a point. Internet access is available internationally around the clock. Web sites are flexible as they can be quickly updated to address morphing issues. They are also more cost-effective than printed brochures, which can quickly become outdated.

“Web sites have the technology to reflect the two faces of a corporation: internal and external,” he said. “When you look at a corporation, it’s either legitimate or illegitimate. Without a legitimate reputation, you’re in trouble.” Waller has also co-authored a paper on ExxonMobil and BP Web sites, which he presented in Oslo, Norway. As for the future, he has Wal-Mart on his analytical radar and intentions of studying food processing and pharmaceutical corporations.

“It seems likely now that obesity/diabetes issues and prescription drugs with dangerous side effects will be targeted just like tobacco in the 1990s,” he said. So why should society care about what company Web sites have to say? “These company Web sites are dealing with issues that touch nearly every one of us as consumers,” he said. “The messages communicated on the Web sites often indicate the direction of important policy debates on everything from health to pollution concerns.” Waller plans to continue his research and eventually compile analyzed Web site cases into a book.

“The Web puts everyone into the loop of dialogue on business decisionmaking and public policy debates,” he said. “Each site has a story to tell, and they’re sticking to it.”

Culture & Information Technology

Dorothy Leidner and Timothy Kayworth are immersing themselves in culture – information technology culture, that is. Leidner is the Randall W. and Sandra erguson Professor of Information Systems and the director of the Center for Knowledge Management at Baylor. Kayworth is an associate professor of MIS and recently collaborated with Leidner on a paper, which was published in the June 2006 issue of MIS Quarterly.

The paper, “A Review of Culture on Information Systems,” also includes research toward a theory of information technology (IT) culture conflict. The paper discusses the relationships of IT and culture and offers six themes of IT-culture research, theories of cultural conflict and research challenges. They examine and clarify previous IT-culture research to provide direction and guidance for future research. Based on their analysis, Leidner and Kayworth propose their own theory.

“The theory, which we label the ‘Theory of IT-Culture Conflict,’ provides a new perspective of culture and IT by focusing on the potential conflicts that may emerge in the context of IT development, adoption, use and management,” they wrote.

In order to propose their theory of IT and culture, Leidner and Kayworth first had to start at the root of the cause: defining culture. According to Leidner and Kayworth, past research identified 164 definitions of culture. These definitions included foundations of everything from norms and practices to ideologies, core values, and basic assumptions representing cognitive structures. Leidner and Kayworth decided to use a values-based approach of culture for their research. All of the professors’ research stemmed from an extensive literature review of journals related to their field. From these journals, Leidner and Kayworth developed the six themes linking IT and culture together.

The first theme is Culture and Information Systems Development, which deals with the question of culture influencing the design of information systems including national and organizational cultures.

The second theme is Culture and IT Adoption and Diffusion. This theme reveals the usage of uncertainty avoidance, power distance, individualism-collectivism, and masculinity/femininity to describe the relationship between IT and culture. These factors are cultural values proposed by Geert Hofstede, an Emeritus Professor of Organizational Anthropology and International Management of Maastricht University.

The third theme is Culture, IT Use and Outcomes, where their research showed different views of culture from organizational and national levels. For example, Leidner and Kayworth used supporting evidence from a past study that showed the variance of Internet usage in the United States versus that of Hong Kong. The study showed Hong Kong used the Internet mostly for social communication, where the U.S. focused on information search. The findings bolster the theory that cultural values shape how people use technology.

The fourth theme entitled, Culture, IT Management and Strategy, shows the impact of culture on IT management and strategy.

The fifth and sixth themes look at the impact of IT culture, and IT as a culture itself. Leidner and Kayworth found the last two themes to be the least discussed in past literature they analyzed.

“What has received the least amount of attention in the literature on IT and culture is the very notion of IT culture; by IT culture we mean the values attributed to IT by a group,” they wrote. Leidner and Kayworth draw two inferences from developing the fifth and sixth themes. “IT has the potential for use in organizational culture reengineering efforts,” they wrote. “Second, different types of technology artifacts may influence certain types of values.”The professors also address the causes of cultural conflicts and possible resolutions.

Leidner and Kayworth hope to expose the importance of IT and culture on society today. “To date, the idea of IT values has been largely ignored in the empirical literature,” they wrote. “We provide a framework that explains the inherent conflicts among values that may accompany the introduction of IT. We argue that through the reconciliation of these conflicts, IT subtly exerts pressures on the values inherent in the conflict resulting in a reorientation of values. It is via this reorientation of values that IT, over time, influences culture.”

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006

Why Hire a Baylor Grad?

Fall 2006: Technology

“I recruit from Baylor Business because that’s my school. Ultimately, I know the graduates will hit the ground running and quickly make an impact. Their skills and talents need little guidance.”

“Our Baylor relationships enable us to build a recruitment pipeline that will grow their careers and build our company. In the last few years, we’ve hired many successful Baylor graduates and we’ll most likely increase that number this year. Every BU grad we’ve hired has been excellent – nothing but good progress reports across the teams. Personally, I have two of last year’s graduates on my team and they have been fantastic.”

– Grady Ligon
Vice President, Investment Banking Technology
North AmericanTechnology Center, JPMorgan, Houston, Texas

JPMorgan Chase is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $1.3 trillion and operations in more than 50 countries. Under the JPMorgan and Chase brands, the firm serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. The North AmericanvTechnology Center in Houston is responsible for the technical aspects of the North American Investment Bank operations.

JPMorgan Chase:

*is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers, small business and commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset and wealth management, and private equity

* reports on six lines of business: Investment Bank, Retail Financial Services, Card Services, Commercial Banking, Treasury & Securities Services and Asset & Wealth Management

* creates long-term value for the firm through our private equity capabilities JPMorgan Partners and One Equity Partners manages centrally the interest rate risk and liquidity risk associated with the company’s enhanced balance sheet with the objective of maximizing return

* is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average

* has corporate headquarters in New York and U.S. consumer and commercial banking headquarters in Chicago

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006

Building Bridges

Fall 2006: Technology

Scholarships Help Information Systems Students Cross Over
From Financial Limitations to Prosperous Careers

by Amanda Keys

Sometimes we face gaps between what we have and what we need. We love our computers, until they won’t do what we need them to. Whether the network goes down due to a virus or a database cannot perform a necessary function, technology has its limitations. Likewise, when looking at colleges, some students face a gap between their financial means and the university that is right for them. Fortunately, endowed scholarships in the Information Systems (ISY) department at Hankamer build bridges between the limitations of finance and of technology. Recent ISY graduates and scholarship recipients such as Kevin Riess and Derek Ripley gained skills ranging from protecting networks to developing programs suited to a business’ needs. These capabilities will not only help them to succeed in their careers, but also puts two more professionals in the field who can make the business world a more efficient place.

“Without information systems, business would operate much more inefficiently. As technology grows, systems are able to operate more smoothly,” Ripley noted. “Almost everything in the business world is run through information systems. It’s exciting that as needs change, newer and better systems are being developed, and that helps businesses.”

As technology constantly changes, businesses are in need of ISY graduates to work with the company to determine needs and to stay abreast of the latest innovations that will help accomplish the business’ goals.

“The information systems field involves talking to the organization’s decision-makers and finding what they need to help them make those decisions,” G. W. Willis, ISY professor and former department chair, said. “Then we develop computer-assisted systems that help those decision-makers do their job better, make better informed decisions and help them perform their responsibilities.”

Riess (BBA ’06) is now applying his education to a career at USAA, where he is an analyst/programmer apprentice. He enjoys the opportunity to combine business with his interest in computers and looks forward to learning and moving up in the information systems world. Riess, a Waco native, transferred to Baylor from McLennan Community College after completing his associate’s degree in accounting and credits scholarships for getting him where he is today.

“If it weren’t for scholarships, I might not have been at Baylor or have been able to stay and graduate from Baylor,” Riess said. “I might have been able to with loans, but those loan payments would’ve been tremendous.”

That diminished debt also decreases the stress of moving to a new city to begin his first job. With Riess’ wife, Shauvon, researching universities in San Antonio so she can pursue her degree, every little bit counts.

Riess also appreciates the educational quality Baylor offered, from the Career Services office to helpful faculty.

“What I liked most of all was the size of the classes and the friendliness of the professors, who were there to help you when you needed it. If it wasn’t for all the professors, I may have had a really hard time,” Riess mused. “For the extra services you get at Baylor, it’s really worth your while.”

Ripley (BBA ’06) agrees, as he too is grateful for the education that scholarships helped provide for him. A double major in management and information systems, he is keeping his options open as he investigates job opportunities. Ripley recognizes his technical training in particular may open doors for him.

“Hopefully just having the experience and knowledge of some of the different programming languages, as well as other things I learned in the program, will appeal to my future employers,” Ripley observed. “If I work for a technology company, they will know I’m able to understand the issues that they will be dealing with. Even if I’m not programming or coding, I’ll understand it and I can direct others who are doing those things.”

Again, information systems graduates bridge the gap, this time between the business leaders who need a new program developed and the technical experts who can make the program possible. For Ripley and Riess, one of the scholarships that helped both of them build bridges to reach their education is the John and Richelle Parker Endowed Scholarship Fund, which was designated to assist students in the ISY department. John Parker worked with his business, Spectrum Consulting Group, Inc., to make the initial gift for the scholarship, emphasizing the role of the business world in building associations with the universities that educate the best and brightest future employees.

“Scholarships play a vital role in attracting the highly qualified students that Baylor wants and that we want in the information systems department,” Willis said. “Our vision is to become one of the top information systems departments among our peer institutions, to be recognized both for research and high-quality graduates who are going on to do great work in the field.”

“Scholarships definitely attract people to the department,” Ripley noted. “Many people have trouble paying for their education, and may pay tuition by working full time, so school is put on the backburner. Scholarships make it so much easier to enjoy the college experience and focus on school. I’m thankful for all the scholarships I’ve been given. Big or small, they’ve all helped me enjoy my time at Baylor,” Ripley said.

Mirroring the constantly changing nature of technology, students at Baylor also change, as each year a class graduates and a new one begins. However, the need does not change: for high-quality information systems graduates to take on the business world and make it a better place. Scholarships can provide that bridge between students and their futures.

Baylor Business Review, Fall 2006