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NOTE: A high-quality version is available on request of photo of Interim Dean Constance Knapp

Education for “the new liberal art?”

Merging computing with other subjects to be focus of new Pace University undergraduate IT major

Structure is like few others in the country, dean says

NEW YORK, NY, November 3, 2009 – Information technology has become so ubiquitous that it has been termed “the new liberal art.”

But how can students break down the sprawling field into areas that reflect their interests and that they can master and apply to careers?

Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems is providing answers to that question next fall with a new interdisciplinary major leading to a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

Passions and interests

Like few other computing programs in the country, the new “flagship” program lets students combine an area of personal interest with a solid foundation in Information Technology (IT).

They will build on required course work in computer systems, networking, interactive media, database management, and security. Students can then follow their ambitions and choose a career concentration in Web and digital media, security, networking, information management, or problem-solving and systems.

Finally, students can incorporate their passions, combining IT with an area they love or want to explore or work in such as the arts, sciences, criminal justice, education or management.

Echoing the values of traditional liberal arts education, the school’s faculty believes the structure of the program will make students better able to adapt to new technologies and shorten their learning curves for future technologies.

“Gone are the days of geeks.”

All students in the program will be required to have an internship -- many of which are paid -- or to complete a capstone project that integrates what they learned. The goal is for them to enter the professional workforce with confidence that they have the knowledge and skills to succeed.

“Gone are the days when computers and technology were reserved for geeks,” said Constance A. Knapp, the Interim Dean of the Seidenberg School, who holds both a Ph.D. in Business and an MBA. “Today, technology surrounds us and provides ways to make our lives more productive and fun, and Pace’s new program capitalizes on that.”

Scholarships and salaries

Pace has a robust financial aid program, with 95 percent of students receiving financial aid. Graduates from the Seidenberg School earn on average $62,400 per year, higher than the average for Ivy League graduates.

Information technology is pervasive in many other parts of Pace, notably in a six-year old Digital Art Gallery and in a high proportion of courses taught online and in a “blended” model combining online and face to face learning. Pace is one of seven colleges and Universities now testing the Amazon Kindle DX wireless reading device as a way of making textbooks available.

For more information about the new program, visit www.pace.edu/BSIT .

About Seidenberg

Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, established in 1983, is the youngest school within the University. It was one of the first comprehensive schools of computing in the country and remains in the forefront of the field. The school offers a student-centered environment; small classes; committed teaching; research with professors; innovative programs, projects, and partnerships; and convenient multi-campus locations as well as online courses and programs. Inherent in the school’s activities and services to students, businesses, and the community is the belief that information technologies are tools for the empowerment of people.

About Pace

For 103 years Pace University has produced thinking professionals by providing high quality education for the professions on a firm base of liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York metropolitan area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, enrolling nearly 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, School of Education, School of Law, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. www.pace.edu

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