Executive Summary: Proposal for the merger of the MIS program (School of Management) with the CIS program (School of Technology)

From Purdue University Calumet’s Strategic Plan for 2001-2006:

”Our Vision”

To retain and graduate more students by increasing…
                …freshman retention rate.
                …six-year baccalaureate graduation rate.

To be the preferred university in northwest Indiana’s Calumet Region by…
                …offering and developing baccalaureate and master’s level programs in areas of
                institutional strength with respect to regional needs.

To engage in regional and economic development by…
                …increasing the number of faculty and staff who share their expertise.
                …increasing community advisory board membership.
                …building a south Lake County Learning Center.

How will the merger of the Management Information Systems (MIS) area within the School of Management  with the Computer Information Systems (CIS) area within the School of Technology be consistent with the University’s Vision statement and how can this merger better contribute to the University’s Vision for 2001-2006 and beyond?

This proposal recommends that the Management Information Systems program in the School of Management and the Computer Information Systems program in the School of Technology be combined into a single department. These two groups will form a new Information Systems (IS) department within the School of Management

The representatives of the six tenured and tenure-track faculty members from MIS and CIS have met on several occasions to discuss this plan and all six faculty jointly made this proposal. The new IS department will continue to offer an MIS major, for existing School of Management students. The IS department will also offer the program in IS. Current programs in CIS will be maintained until all current students have completed their programs. It is important that we maintain both of these options because they are mutually necessary and marketable.

The IS department expects with proper support to achieve ABET accreditation within a few years after becoming a department. After the new department is established, new degree programs are active, and ABET accreditation is underway the enrollment in both programs should improve and continue to grow substantially. In addition, this merger gives us a more viable chance to provide an MIS option within our current MBA program. This proposal makes good academic sense and preserves the resources that are currently allocated to both programs. Our combined goal is to better serve a need for qualified MIS and IS professionals in the greater Northwest Indiana and Chicago region.

Proposal for the merger of the MIS program (School of Management) with the CIS program (School of Technology)

1.         Proposed title of the new department

It is proposed that, based on the supporting materials, the merged MIS and CIS department will be called:

Information Systems

Supporting materials

2.         Discipline(s) and degree program(s) to be included in new departments

The existing CIS programs (old Systems Analysis, old Software Development, Information Systems Software Engineering, Information Systems Information Technology, and Computer Information Systems) and all courses currently lead by CIS faculty will transfer to the new Information Systems department in the School of Management.

3.         Rationale

The creation of a new IS department in the School of Management is a very positive move for Purdue University Calumet:

· There is considerable synergy between the existing programs and faculty

· This will provide a more efficient use of resources

· The two disciplines are very compatible

o MIS teaches business students about the effective use of IS to achieve corporate goals and objectives

o CIS teaches the development of information systems that support upper management goals and objectives

· There will be clearer and more effective choices for students in the Information Systems disciplines.

· These combined resources will meet a documented need for a graduate program in this field.

· This will provide greater opportunity for faculty to work together on scholarship.

4.         Feedback from the review process of the pre-proposal

The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Dean of the School of Management, and the Dean of the School of Technology support the merger of MIS area with the CIS area and have approved the budget and cost figures below.

5.         Compatibility of various disciplines to be incorporated into the new departments

As stated above, the compatibility of our curricula is the real driver of this proposal. Our students will benefit from a combined degree program, and the faculty will benefit from greater collaboration on scholarship. Courses that are common to both discipline areas will be cross-listed with one another to eliminate redundancy.

6.         Commitment of faculty in the disciplines to formation of the new department

The representatives of the six tenured and tenure-track faculty members from MIS and CIS have met on several occasions to discuss this plan and all six faculty jointly make this proposal. The new IS department will continue to offer an MIS major, for existing School of Management students. The IS department will also offer a degree in IS, for new CIS students. Current programs in CIS will be maintained until all current students have completed their programs. It is important that we maintain both of these options because they are mutually necessary and marketable.

7. and 8.  Budget and Cost Considerations 

The new Information Systems departmental budget will be approximately half of the budget of the current CISIT department, based on an average over the last three years, with the other half to be allocated to the newly formed Information Technology Department in the School of Technology.

This includes, but is not limited to the following items:

· The six tenure-track/tenured faculty lines as listed below in number 9

· Four staff positions, including the CIS 204 coordinator, one advisor, one lab administrator, and one-half of a secretarial position

· Guest lecturer FTE and salaries.

· All wages supporting the faculty and staff positions and proportionate amount of student wage budget.

· Travel funds

· Capital funds and release time allocations

· Labs, technology equipped classrooms and equipment

· Technology fees

· S&E budget

· Continuing education budget

· Lab operation budget

· Lab supplies

· Gift and PERF funds

· Space allocation that includes 10 offices and two labs

9.         Size of the departments and what impact the size has on committee work, promotion and tenure procedures

The new department will consist of the following faculty members. They will all retain their current rank, tenure, and salary:

                  Tenured faculty (including Department Head)                             6

                        From the current MIS program: Kuan Chen and Denise Woods

                        From the current CIS program: Sue Conners, Roy Foreman,
LaVon Green, and Michael Mick

            New tenure-track faculty position                                               1

            System Administrator                                                                1

            Academic Advisor                                                                     1

            CIS 204/304 coordinator                                                            1

            Secretary                                                                                0.5

Any committee assignments will be determined by the School of Management, with the new IS department getting fair representation on all committees.

10.        Impact of proposed departments on academic structure

Since the School of Management is already a separate school, with a Dean as its head, there is no change proposed in the fundamental academic structure of the University. Four new departments will be constructed from one school, increasing the total number of departmental-type units to four.

The governance of the University will improve in the sense that the programs of the School of Management will be more clearly organized and administered.  In addition, the interactions of these programs with other programs throughout the University will occur more smoothly.

Thus the subdivision of the School of Management into four departments will have the incidental effect of serving as a step towards enabling all six schools to interact more smoothly in the governance of the University.

11.        Impact of proposed departments on Faculty governance

The primary change in governance structure will be that the School of Management will have four regular members of the Senate, as opposed to the one member that we currently have. This will be required, since all departments must have one senator.  

The IS department will have representation on Faculty governance committees as determined by the School of Management.   

Review of Final Proposal

The final proposal has been reviewed and approved by the following parties on the dates indicated:

Faculty                                                                         January 12, 2005

Dean of the School of Management (Shomir Sil)             March 10, 2005

Dean of the School of Technology (Dennis Korchek)      March 10, 2005

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Nabil Ibrahim)    March 10, 2005