Congratulations to Brandon Nelson, Christopher Cullen, and Kaden Mahsoob, who each won a $1,000 scholarship, awarded by the Three Rivers Information Security Symposium (TRISS) planning committee. Thanks to Professor Karen Paullet for her recommendation. Professor Paullet and the Top Secret Colonials have been active supporters of the TRISS the symposium and the TRISS Scholarship Program.
The CIS Department congratulates Dr. J. Packy Laverty who was inducted as an AITP-EDSIG Fellow at the 2019 EDSIG Conference for Information Systems and Computing. AITP-EDSIG Fellows are inducted in honor of their long-term, meaningful, and effective support of AITP-EDSIG in its mission to improve information systems (IS) education and foster the careers of IS faculty.
Dr. Laverty is a Professor of Computer Information Systems and Coordinator of Enterprise Systems at Robert Morris University. Prior to his time at RMU, he held faculty positions at University of Pittsburgh, St. Vincent’s College, Community College of Allegheny County, and Carlow College. He has 35 years of professional consulting experience which includes working closely with IBM on its z-System academic initiative and curriculum. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting and a MBA from Duquesne University. He received his Ph.D. in Academic Computing from University of Pittsburgh. In addition, he has obtained numerous IT-related certifications. During his 44 years as an information systems and business administration educator, he has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate classes including Linux, Java, IBM DB2, Unix, COBOL, Oracle, HTML, JavaScript, and MySQL-PHP, just to name a few.
During his time in academics, Dr. Laverty has established a consistent research record including publications and innovative outcomes assessment initiatives. He has consistently published in the Information Systems Education Journal and Issues in Information Systems journal, as well as presented his research at numerous international and national conferences. Dr. Laverty has been actively involved with EDSIG throughout the years serving as the workshop chair, publishing papers, making presentations, and always willing to help out wherever needed.
Congratulations, Dr. Laverty, on receiving this prestigious honor.
Robert Morris University (RMU) has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) by the U.S. National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security (NSA/DHS). Dr. Ping Wang, Professor of Computer and Information Systems, is the official POC (Point of Contact) for RMU’s CAE-CDE designation.
The Department of Computer and Information Systems has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) research & scholarship grant for a 5 year project titled CIS Cyber Scholars Program. Dr. Diane Igoche is the Principal Investigator (PI) for this grant. Co-PI’s are Dr. Karen Paullet, Dr. Natalya Bromall, Dr. David Wood, and Professor John Turchek.
The total grant amount is $998,060 with $600,000 going towards student scholarships and $398,060 towards faculty research. The grant will provide a $10,000 scholarship per year for 2 years for low-income, academically talented community college transfer students in cyber forensics, computer information systems, data analytics, or information science. A total of 38 students are expected to benefit from this scholarship money.
Congratulations to Dr. Igoche, Dr. Paullet, Dr. Bromall, Dr. Wood, and Prof. Turchek!
Last May, over 60 students from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C. to attend a two-week National Security seminar at The Washington Center. A Robert Morris University student Evan Kinney, a member of the “Top Secret Colonials,” was interviewed about his experience. Evan is a Cyber Forensics and Information Security major. You can read his Q&A with The Washington Center here:
https://www.twc.edu/articles/national-security-seminar-qa-evan-kinney
Robert Morris University was named one of the nation’s top schools in multiple categories by CyberDegrees.org. CyberDegrees.org was launched in 2013 and has become a trusted online resource for students interested in cyber security education and careers. CyberDegrees.org is recognized as a resource by various colleges including Harvard University, University of California – Los Angeles, and Georgia Tech, and organizations like the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Internet Security Alliance.
RMU was ranked #25 in Top Schools with Online Master’s in Cyber Security Programs. RMU was also ranked as one of the Best Schools with Online Computer Forensics Programs (undergraduate).
Top Schools with Online Master’s in Cyber Security Programs
https://www.cyberdegrees.org/listings/top-online-masters-in-cyber-security-programs/
Best Schools with Online Computer Forensics Programs
https://www.cyberdegrees.org/listings/best-online-computer-forensics-programs/
Dr. Sushma Mishra is the new director of SCIS’ D.Sc. program. She succeeds Dr. David Wood, who stepped down at the end of the fall semester.
“My number one priority as the director is to highlight and communicate the value that this program provides to people seeking a terminal degree in an applied field such as information systems,” Dr. Mishra said.
“We have a unique program in terms of balancing rigor and relevance,” Dr. Mishra noted. “The rigor of the program comes from well-designed courses in areas of research design, methods and content that are taught by our dedicated faculty. The relevance of the research comes from the applied nature of problems that professionals seek to investigate in this program.”
She added that the answers that develop from the research are transferred from the classroom and into the organizational settings where the students work.
“The program is designed for students to succeed,” Dr, Mishra said. “We have one of the highest rates of graduation in this program. Being able to complete course work and individual research in three years requires lot of dedication from students and faculty members. We are able to accomplish this as a team.”
Dr. Mishra said she often is asked by prospective students why a D.Sc. degree might be a better choice than a Ph.D. degree.
“In my opinion, a D.Sc. program is more applied in nature,” she stated. “Our students are investigating real organizational problems and taking the skills and solutions to their work place to address more relevant issues. This makes our program different as the applicability of knowledge is high and not just a theoretical exercise.”
Dr. Mishra noted that her predecessor set quite the bar as a leader.
“David’s leadership and mentorship encouraged new ideas to be discussed and implemented in the program,” she said. “His dedication to student success has generated goodwill throughout the region.”
AnnMarie LeBlanc is the dean of the School of Communications and Information Systems. She is confident Dr. Mishra will demonstrate the same skills as an administrator that she does as a teacher and scholar.
“I look forward to witnessing Dr. Mishra’s leadership,” Dean LeBlanc said. “Her vision, wisdom and collaborative nature will most certainly enhance the Doctor of Science curricular offerings and add value to the degree.”
Because she is taking over what she called “a fundamentally solid program,” Dr. Mishra doesn’t envision making structural changes. But she does have clear goals in mind.
One is to work with the D.Sc. faculty to explore how the program needs to adjust to ever-changing technology trends. A second is to ensure that relevant current topics are integrated into the curriculum.
Dr. Mishra will continue to teach one D.Sc. course in the fall semester in her new administrative role. She also will teach one Master’s level course in the spring term.
“I have been teaching in this program for few years and have really enjoyed the enthusiasm of all the people involved in making it successful,” she noted.
“I am a firm believer of this program, and I hope all our students are proud of their experiences here and their degrees.”
Robert Morris University made College Choice’s rankings of the Best Online Bachelor’s and Online Master’s in Information Systems Security.
RMU’s Bachelor of Science in Cyber Forensics and Information Security ranked in the top 15 Best Information Systems Security Bachelor’s Online. The BS in Cyber Forensics and Information Security combines the disciplines of technology, business, organizational behavior, and law.
RMU’s Master of Science in Cyber Security and Information Assurance degree program prepares information systems and technology professionals to recognize and combat information systems threats and vulnerabilities. The MS in Cyber Security and Information Asssurance ranked in the top 30 Best I.T. Systems Security Master’s Online.
CollegeChoice also noted, “Even though Robert Morris University’s enrollment is just around 5,000 students, its online capabilities have made a big impression in the world of rankings. In US News & World Report’s ‘Best Online Universities of 2017,’ RMU ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation. Within the state of Pennsylvania, Educemic named it the 3rd Top Pennsylvania Online School.”
IBM is producing a set of videos that are quick conversations with a new generation of coders and creators on the mainframe. Watch RMU alumna Torrie McLaughlin, who works on the mainframe at a large financial institution, describe how COBOL is a key asset to her professional toolkit.
On Tuesday, September 12th, members of the Top Secret Colonials helped prepare supplies for delivery to victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The members helped package dozens of boxes filled with the supplies collected in Wheatley. They delivered the supplies to the Chartier’s Volunteer Fire Department. From there, the boxes were placed on a truck that is headed for Texas.
Pictures of the items and the delivery are shown below.
CIS @ RMU 