Marist to Host National Enterprise Computing Conference

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The first national conference to focus on how to address the critical skills shortage in enterprise computing will be held June 22-23 in the Student Center at Marist College, opening with a reception on June 21 at the historic Cornell Boathouse in the college’s Longview Park.

Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Enterprise Computing Community Conference will bring together representatives from industry and academia to explore ways to develop a college curriculum to teach large system technology skills to computer science, information technology, and information systems students.

“Industry and government are struggling to attract new technologists to replace aging workers who manage the enterprise computing systems that are vital to continued economic growth and national security,” said Dr. Roger Norton, dean of the School of Computer Science and Mathematics at Marist. “This will leave gaps in the workforce in a variety of areas critical to our country: banking, commerce, healthcare, public safety, transportation, and the military.”

“Despite the number of jobs available now, and millions more opening up in the years ahead, enrollment in college computing programs is down significantly nationwide,” said Mary Ann Hoffmann, assistant dean of the School of Computer Science and Mathematics. “Without more U.S. graduates of these programs, jobs would have to be outsourced internationally, creating significant losses for the American economy.”

The keynote speaker at the opening session on June 22 will be Nicholas Donofrio, IBM Fellow and the corporation’s retired executive vice president for innovation and technology. In that position, Donofrio served as the leader of the IBM Corporation’s technology strategy and a champion for innovation across IBM and around the world.

The 25 sessions scheduled for the two days will focus on topics such as open source applications, bridging the gap to Generation Y, mainframe management, data center operations, cloud computing, and skills demands of the new age enterprise information technology.

The conference is free and open to the public. For further information or to register, visit ecc.marist.edu/conf. Conference co-sponsors include CA, Compuware, IBM, Interskill, Micro Focus, Verizon and the Greystone Collaborative Program at Marist.

Large data centers are often used to remotely host applications from multiple businesses while minimizing energy requirements. Enterprise computing involves data processing and data mining on a vast scale and thousands of simultaneous users.

Enterprise computing is the set of non-proprietary, open-standard computer technologies (i.e. hardware, software, and practices) needed to integrate and automate large-scale systems, including mainframes, servers, and peripheral devices, interconnected by a network forming a virtual centralized computing facility. Hardware is distinguished by its resiliency, with average failure rates measured in decades. Software applications are usually distributed geographically and organizationally to take advantage of the trillions of dollars’ worth of data resident on large systems and require standards for security and integration of heterogeneous components. Established practices include continuous availability, backup and disaster recovery, and strict data retention protocols.

In 2008, Marist was awarded a two-year $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation Directorate of Computer and Information Science, and Engineering Pathways to Revitalize Undergraduate Computing Education. Academic partners on the grant include Illinois State University, North Carolina Central University, University of Arkansas, Widener University, Monroe College, San Jose State University, Stevens Institute of Technology and Binghamton University.

    CONTACT: TIM MASSIE  (845) 575-3171
    MARY ANN HOFFMANN  (845) 575-3611

SOURCE Marist College