$20.09 Giving Campaign

Alumni giving participation rates are considered an indicator in alumni satisfaction and play an important role in program rankings. Please help us kick off 2009 by making a gift online at the below link for $20.09. Your gift of $20.09 will go directly to the School’s Annual Fund and help us with our $2.4 Million Goal this fiscal to keep this new building running.

www.commerce.virginia.edu/give

Thank you for your continued support!

McIntire Offers First “Knowledge Continuum”

McIntire Offers First “Knowledge Continuum”for M.S. in MIT Alumni

Can leadership be learned? How can you start to think more creatively? What are the core principles of value creation, and how can you align value propositions with business strategy?

These were just a few of the questions pondered by the 14 participants attending McIntire’s inaugural “Knowledge Continuum,” a two-and-a-half-day executive residency designed to provide information technology leaders (and, in particular, alumni of McIntire’s M.S. in MIT Program) with a continuation of their academic learning experience.

“We decided to initiate the Knowledge Continuum because so many of our alumni were telling us, ‘We want more,’” says IT Professor Ryan Nelson, who, with Director of Alumni Development Nicole Fitzwater, helped organize the program. “So we developed a program that would get M.S. in MIT alumni back on Grounds and give them a sort of ‘booster shot’ in the critical areas of leadership, innovation, IT strategy and management, IT architecture, and business intelligence.” Nelson notes that the Knowledge Continuum will become an annual event.

Participants in the program got the full “back to school” experience, with the opportunity to hear from—and actively engage with—Management Professor Tom Bateman; IT Professors Stefano Grazioli, Peter Gray, Ryan Nelson, and Barb Wixom; and world-renowned creativity expert Chic Thompson. Of course, the continuum wasn’t all work and no play: Students and faculty also enjoyed an evening out in downtown Charlottesville, as well as dinner and a lively lesson in Jeffersonian lore (courtesy of McIntire Finance Professor Bob Kemp) in Pavilion VII on the Lawn.

“The Knowledge Continuum was exactly what I was looking for,” said Teresa Duvall (M.S. in MIT ’06), Director of Network Enterprise Services at CACI International Inc. “It was like an extension of the M.S. in MIT Program—not a rehash of the program, but learning about new concepts and new technologies, with a broad base of students.” Duvall notes that the contributions of her top-notch classmates, who came to the continuum from a variety of industries, made her time in the program “a very rich experience.”

Indeed, she said, the excellence and diversity of her classmates, along with the continuum’s superb coursework, world-class faculty, flawless organization, and location in beautiful new Rouss & Robertson Halls, all combined to make the program a “class act.” Of course, Duvall said, she’d expected nothing less of McIntire’s M.S. in MIT Program: “This is a team that we in the field have come to respect as leaders in the management of information technology.”

25 Alumni Attend NoVA Happy Hour

We had 25 alumni attend the Happy Hour last night – 28 including Barb, Matt and myself. Thank you so much! I met so many new faces and it was great to see everyone again. Next happy hour is 12/9, Tuesday…in Arlington..I have had a lot of requests to host one there.

Now for the class tally’s:
First place with eight alumni – 2008
Second place with six alumni – 2007
Tie for Third with four alumni – 2006 and 2009
Three from the 2005 class

I am working on planning a Caps and possibly a Wizards game too! I’ll keep you posted.

I had two inquiries about bricks, we are still doing them. Please just let me know if you are interested. They are $250 and email me what you would like engraved.

Please see the below link to make a small donation/gift to the School online to help me cover the bar cost from last night.

www.commerce.virginia.edu/give

Thank you for your continued support!

Have a great day and Thanksgiving next week!

November Upcoming Events

The Greater Richmond Technology Council is pleased to present the agenda for the November 12th Sustainability Summit sponsored by Peak 10 and TechTurn.

Participants include The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia; Lyn McDermid, CIO, Dominion and Greater Richmond Technology Council Chair; Guy Chapman, Managing Director, Dominion; David Labato, LaserJet Business Sustainability and Environmental Programs Manager for the Imaging and Printing Group, HP; Eddie Riddell, CEO, All Associates Group; Dennis Tracz, Director, JMU, Center for Entrepreneurship; Kevin Xiao, Student, Maggie L. Walker Governors School; Jeff Ziegler, President and CEO, TechTurn; Kevin Gerber, President and CEO, Packet360; Jean Peters, Senior Vice President - Strategic Analysis & Planning, Genworth; Mike Magruder, Data Center Support Specialist, Federal Reserve Information Technology; Jim McGlone, VP Sales, Tridium; George Favaloro, Managing Partner, Esty Environmental Partners; Craig Brander, Sales Engineer, Carter Machinery Company; Dave Rubcich, Director of Sales, Emerson Network Power; Dennis Tolliver, ISS/Blade Specialist, Hewlett-Packard; Mark Wensel, VP and GM, Peak 10

For more information:
Greater Richmond Technology Council
www.richtech.com

NoVA

We will be in NoVA the following Wednesday, November 19th for alumni visits and a Happy Hour at M&S Grill in Reston. Please join us:

M&S Grill
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
5:30 – 8:00 pm
Reston Town Center
11901 Democracy Drive,
Reston, VA 20190
(703) 787-7766
** Barb Wixom will be in attendance!!!

We had 17 alumni attend the October Happy Hour with the 2006 NoVA class with the most attendance and the 2008 NoVA class a very close 2nd. Looking forward to meeting lots of new faces.

M.S. in MIT Student Thomas J. White Selected

M.S. in MIT Student Thomas J. White Selected as First Recipient of Investor Solutions Graduate Scholarship

Thomas J. White, a student in the M.S. in the Management of Information Technology Program at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, has been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Investor Solutions Graduate Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship, which will be awarded annually to an incoming graduate student in one of the School’s four outstanding graduate programs, is specifically designated for U.S. military combat veterans. Recipients of the scholarship must have served as an enlisted man or woman, must have been honorably discharged, and must demonstrate financial need.

“In establishing this scholarship, we are pleased to support students in McIntire’s prestigious, nationally recognized graduate programs, and we are proud to honor our nation’s veterans,” says UVA alumnus Francis C. “Frank” Armstrong III (A&S ’66), President and Founder of Investor Solutions Inc. Armstrong himself is a Vietnam veteran.

White, who served as an enlisted infantry soldier in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1981 to 1986 and as an active duty Army officer with the 1st Armored Division during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, says he’s thrilled to be chosen for the scholarship.

“I’m honored to have been recognized by McIntire and by Investor Solutions for my service to the country,” White says. “I’m also thankful to Investor Solutions for their incredible generosity and recognition of veterans. The Investor Solutions Graduate Scholarship is a tremendous help to me and my family.”

White was selected for the scholarship by a committee composed of McIntire faculty members and a representative from Investor Solutions. He will graduate from the M.S. in MIT Program in 2009.

“We are extremely grateful to Investor Solutions for their generous support of McIntire’s graduate programs and students, and we look forward to working with them in the future to honor deserving veterans as scholarship recipients,” says McIntire Dean Carl Zeithaml.

Investor Solutions is an independent, fee-only, fiduciary investment advisory firm specializing in tax-efficient and globally diversified portfolios for individuals and institutions. For more information, go to www.investorsolutions.com.

September Reading List

Please see below for our 5th M.S. MIT reading list.

September M.S. MIT Alumni Reading List:
Project Lessons from the Great Escape
Mark Kozak-Holland

For more information, please view the CMIT website at the below link. Mark was a presenter at the 9/26/08 CMIT program.

www.commerce.virginia.edu/cmit

NoVA Golf Fundraiser Raised $6,000

Thank you to everyone that came out to South Riding and played in the beautiful weather (rain) for our McIntire Golf Fundraiser hosted by M.S. MIT Alumni.

With your support, we were able to fundraise a little over $6,000 to the annual fund.
We greatly appreciate everything each of you do for the School.

Looking forward to the next golf fundraiser...FORE!

Thank you for your support!

M.S. MIT in the News

Here are the links to the most recent M.S. in MIT news stories:

ComputerWorld:
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=322727

Cville Weekly:
http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=141404064432695&ShowArticle_ID=11800809083805890.

Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2008/aug/26/it-program-receives-high-marks/

Federal Computer Week:
http://www.fcw.com/print/22_26/features/153514-1.html

M.S. MIT Information Sessions

Know anyone interested in the program? If so, please have them join us at one of the following information sessions or class visits.

Anyone interested in attending one of these events can register by visiting the M.S. MIT Web site: http://www.commerce.virginia.edu/grad/msmit/admissions.asp or contacting Matthew Miller: mjm4eg@virginia.edu.

M.S. MIT events for Sept. – Oct.:

Sept. 13
Class Visit & Info Session
Bechtel Conference Center, Reston 8 am - 10:30 am
Sept. 17
Info Session
Bechtel Conference Center, Reston 6 pm - 7 pm
Sept. 23
GRTC Tech-on-Tap
BlackFinn Restaurant, Richmond 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Sept. 27
Class Visit & Info Session
Rouss & Roberston Hall, Charlottesville 8 am - 10:30 am
Oct. 3
GRTC CIO Panel/Breakfast
The Place at Innsbrook, Richmond 7:45 am - 8:45 am
Oct. 11
Class Visit & Info Session
Bechtel Conference Center, Reston 11 am - 2:30 pm
Oct. 14
Information Session
The Place at Innsbrook, Richmond 6 pm - 7 pm
Oct. 17
Class Visit & Info Session
Rouss & Robertson Hall, Charlottesville 8 am - 10:30 am
Oct. 21
Info Session
Bechtel Conference Center, Reston 6 pm - 7 pm

Alumni Portal

Stay Engaged as a M.S. in MIT Alum!

Alumni Portal

Make sure that you are properly registered in the Alumni Portal:
http://alumni.comm.virginia.edu/alumni/
This is the place where the most current M.S. in MIT information is posted—and it contains the email addresses that we use for our communications.

If you have any questions about how to log in, please contact McIntire’s Director of Graduate Alumni Development Nicole Fitzwater at Fitzwater@virginia.edu or 434.982.5623.

NoVA Golf Fundraiser

NoVA McIntire Golf Tournament hosted by M.S. MIT Alumni
Friday, September 26, 2008
South Riding Golf Club
http://www.southridinggc.com/view.asp?id=128&page=4210
1:30 pm Captain’s Choice/Scramble

RSVP to Nicole Fitzwater at Fitzwater@virginia.edu
Payment can be made online at www.commerce.virginia.edu/give


Please come out and support the McIntire School of Commerce on Friday September 26th at South Riding Golf Course (43237 Golf View Drive, South Riding, VA 20152). The M.S. in MIT Program Leadership will be holding a charity golf outing in support to raise money for the School’s Annual Fund. It will be a great day to get together for a good cause and networking with students, faculty, alumni and staff. The tournament will be a captain’s choice/scramble, with a number of Charity incentives available. The tournament will start at 1:30 PM, registration will be held between 11:30 AM and 1:15 PM. The tournament will be a modified shotgun start to help maintain a steady, but fun pace.

Each team member will have the opportunity to purchase a number of optional shots all benefiting the fundraiser. Each member can purchase up to 2 Mulligan’s (to be used from the tee box), 2 Throws (throws count as a stroke, but can be used at any time, sand trap, rough lie etc.) and each team can purchase up to 2 10ft of Putting String. Putting string will also be counted as a stroke. The string can be laid out with one end in the hole, any balls within the diameter of the circle are considered good (you can pick up your ball and count it as your shot). Team Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers, as well as a Closest to the Pin, Longest Drive, and Raffles.

Your cost for the tournament will cover the following:
*****************************************************************
¨ Registration (11:30 AM to 1:15 PM)
¨ Green Fees
¨ Cart Fees (names of players on all carts)
¨ Unlimited driving range balls
¨ Longest Drive Contest
¨ Closest to the Pin Contest
¨ 1ST Place
¨ 2nd Place
¨ 3rd Place
¨ 2 beverage tickets per person
¨ Surprise Alumni Gift
¨ Awards Reception following play

Total Price: $120 Per Person

Options to help raise money

INDIVIDUAL Prices:
¨ Raffle Tickets:……………………...$5 per ticket
¨ Mulligan…………………………….. $5 (limit 2 per person)
¨ *Throw:…………………………..…. $5 (limit 2 per person)
¨ **Putting String:…………………..$10 (10 feet, 2 per team)

PACKAGE Price: $20
¨ 2 Mulligan’s
¨ 2 Throws
¨ 2 Raffle tickets

*Throw’s and putting string count as a stroke
**Putting string not included in the package price because it is a team option. (Limit 2 per team)

CORPORATE SPONSORHIP:
¨ Includes a foursome
¨ Hole Sponsorship (logo recognition on tee sign)
Total Price: $1,000

RSVP to Nicole Fitzwater at Fitzwater@virginia.edu
Payment can be made online at www.commerce.virginia.edu/give

Knowledge Continuum

Delivering Business Value Through IT
November 6-8, 2008

Join us for this 2.5-day executive residency program designed to provide IT leaders with a cutting edge learning experience.
Participants will update their knowledge in the core areas of strategy, architecture, and project and enterprise management. This program will also introduce the latest approaches to leadership, innovation, emerging technologies, and business intelligence. Through case studies, research reports, hands-on exercises, interactive classroom discussions, and networking, participants will have the opportunity to capture a vital new set of knowledge and skills.

Please contact Nicole Fitzwater at 434.982.5623 or fitzwater@virginia.edu for more information. *Group discounts available for three or more members from the same organization.

www.commerce.virginia.edu/knowledgecontinuum

Knowledge Continuum – FAQs

Q: Just how different the Knowledge Continuum curriculum is from the MS/MIT program?
A: The Knowledge Continuum is designed to be an update and extension to the MS MIT curriculum. In fact, it is largely in response to requests for this type of program by our alumni for the past 10 years. Our objective will be to provide the latest thinking in each of the core areas (modules) of the program, as well as the topics of leadership and innovation.

Q: Will this executive education program count as Professional Development Units (PDUs) by Project Management Institute (PMI)?
A: PMI, like most professional/education certification bodies, does recognize non-credit professional education toward initial or continuing certification requirements, especially when the educational contact hours are provided by nationally recognized higher education institutions such as UVa and the McIntire School of Commerce. For example, on page 7 of the PMI CCR document (.pdf), the 2008 Knowledge Continuum would qualify for up to 15 professional development units (PDUs) under “Category 4: Other Provider.”

Upcoming Alumni Events

GRTC Tech-on-Tap Richmond Event
BlackFinn Restaurant
1001 Haxall Point, Richmond
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Parking in the deck above the restaurant will be validated!

NoVA McIntire Golf Tournament hosted by M.S. MIT Alumni
Friday, September 26, 2008
South Riding Golf Club
http://www.southridinggc.com/view.asp?id=128&page=4210
1:30 pm
Captain’s Choice/Scramble


Fall Forum
Friday, October 3, 2008
"Investment Strategies in Turbulent Times"
Features alumni panel of hedge-fund investors:
Richard M. Gerson
John A. Griffin
Julian H. Robertson, Jr.
Chris W. Shumway
Paul Touradji
9:00 am - 10:45 am
Old Cabell Hall

Alumni Football Tailgate and Game
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Maryland vs UVA
Tailgate in Pavilion X Garden behind the Dean’s home
Food and Beverages included
Tailgate 5:00 pm
Game kicks off at 7:00 pm
$65 per person

RSVP to Nicole Fitzwater at Fitzwater@virginia.edu


You may pay online using a credit card by visiting www.commerce.virginia.edu/give or if you prefer writing a check, please be sure to make the check payable to THE MCINTIRE SCHOOL OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION and give it to me at the event.

McIntire Giving

Alumni Giving

There are many ways to give to McIntire—for example, by attending a networking event or executive seminar, participating in a program such as CMIT or an international residency, or making a donation online to the McIntire Annual Fund.

Please visit http://www.blogger.com/www.commerce.virginia.edu/give%20 to make a donation online.

If you are interested in helping to fundraise or hosting an event, please contact Nicole Fitzwater at Fitzwater@virginia.edu.

Thank you for your support! We are looking forward to working with our M.S. in MIT alumni!

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who attended our August Alumni Event at the Nationals Game!

August Reading List

Dear M.S. MIT Alumni,

Please see below for our 4th M.S. MIT reading list.

August M.S. MIT Alumni Reading List:

“Unconventional Oracle Installation (part 1)”
Videocast on YouTube
Unconventional Oracle Installation (part 1).

“Is Google Making Us Stupid?: What the Internet is doing to our brains,”
by Nicholas Carr
July/August 2008
Atlantic Monthly: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google

Computerworld's 10 'IT Schools to Watch'

http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=6183

M.S. in Management of IT Lands McIntire School of Commerce Among Computerworld's 10 'IT Schools to Watch'

News Source: McIntire School of Commerce

Aug. 21, 2008 — Computerworld magazine has recognized the master's degree program in the management of information technology at the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce in an article on America's "IT Schools to Watch." Stating that "the real-world curriculum has drawn raves," Computerworld rated the program with an overall grade of "A" and also graded the program "A" in all measured categories, including value, positive career impact and relevance to actual career activities. The grades were based on survey responses from 222 graduates of the program. Computerworld noted that the program is designed for experienced professionals who want to take their careers to the next level. Stressing that "[a] focus on strategic IT issues draws senior executives," the publication highlighted the career of Scott Day, who received his M.S. in MIT in 2006. A mid-career IT manager who recently accepted the position of chief technology officer for The Motley Fool, Day chose to pursue the 16-month M.S. in MIT section, which meets every other Saturday in Northern Virginia. A second section meets one weekend (Thursday-Saturday) per month for 12 months in Charlottesville. Both sections attract working professionals from diverse industries.The M.S. in MIT program helps business and technology professionals develop the competencies needed to lead and produce greater business value within complex, technology-enabled business environments. The curriculum is divided into four core modules: IT Architecture, IT Project Management, Enterprise IT Management and Strategic Management. The graduate program is taught by top McIntire faculty members, who are highly adept at creating a learning environment that provides academic rigor while taking advantage of the students' depth of professional experience and expertise."It is exciting to have students who are able to immediately translate classroom knowledge into action," associate professor Barbara Wixom said, "especially when those actions may be creating new revenue streams for a company or saving a government agency millions of dollars. Many of these students are really using their knowledge to transform how their organizations use and benefit from IT."Each year, the M.S. in MIT program admits one class of 80 to 90 students, who begin the program in May.

July Reading List

Dear M.S. MIT Alumni,

Please see below for our 3rd M.S. MIT reading list. Mod 2 began last Thursday in Charlottesville.

July M.S. MIT Alumni Reading List:

Investing in IT that makes a Competitive Difference
McAfee and Brynjolfsson
July – August 2008
Harvard Business Publishing

The above article is associated with Mod 0 – Orientation and Overview

New Mod 2 materials include:

Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great!
Videocast: Google Tech Talks
January 25, 2007
YouTube

IT Project Management: Infamous Failures, Classic Mistakes, and Best Practices
Ryan Nelson
MIS Quarterly Executive Vol. 6 No. 2 / June 2007
University of Minnesota

Thank you!

Thank you to the M.S. MIT Alumni who joined us for our July events:

- NoVA Summer Family Picnic
- Charlottesville Summer Family Picnic
- Richmond Happy Hour at the Capital Ale House

June Reading List

Dear M.S. MIT Alumni,

Please see below for our 2nd M.S. MIT reading list. The below list is from Mod 1. Both the Charlottesville and NoVA ’09 students have been in Charlottesville the past two weeks and the below article and books were on their list.

Due to copyright rules, we will not be able to send a pdf of the reading, but will always include the links and directions to download.

June M.S. MIT Alumni Reading List:

Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution (Hardcover)
Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson
Click on the below link:
http://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Architecture-Strategy-Foundation-Execution/dp/1591398398
New: $25.09
Used copy: $18.89

The Next Revolution in Productivity
Ric Merrifield, Jack Calhoun, and Dennis Stevens
June 1, 2008
Harvard Business Publishing
Click on the below link:
http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/books/books_home.jhtml
On the middle left hand side of the page, click on All products. Then enter the title, click on the article and you can download for $6.50

Disrupting Class – How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns (Hardcover)
Clayton Christensen
May 14, 2008
Click on the below link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=clayton+christensen+disrupting+class
New: $21.75
Used copy: $19.37

May Reading List

Dear M.S. MIT Alumni,

One of the new initiatives we would like to begin is emailing a reading list after every weekend the M.S. MIT Charlottesville section meets. The Class of 2009 Charlottesville section met for the first time last Thursday with the new format. This section will meet once a month from Thursday – Saturday. Each week after they meet, we will email a reading list with two or three articles that they discussed in class.
Due to copyright rules, we will not be able to send a pdf of the reading, but will always include the links and directions to download.

May M.S. MIT Alumni Reading List:

Dell: Overcoming Roadblocks to Growth
Ali Farhoomand, Mary Ho
April 26, 2006
Harvard Business Publishing
Click on the below link:
http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu/b01/en/books/books_home.jhtml
On the middle left hand side of the page, click on All products. Then enter the title, click on the article and you can download for $6.95


Avoiding the Alignment Trap in IT
David Shpilberg, Steve Berez, Rudy Puryear and Sachin Shah
Fall 2007
MIT Sloan Management Review
Click on the below link:
http://sloanreview.mit.edu/smr/
Top right corner of the page enter the title in the search box, click on the article and to buy this article - $6.50 for a pdf version