Fall 2021 cob.niu.edu/omis

OM&IS News

Highlights Chair Message to OM&IS Students Professor Andrew Setterstrom’s SAP I am sure you have noticed that all sectors to ask that students who are meeting in their TS410 online certification of economy have reopened with offices wear face masks to ensure the safety workshop received a businesses, schools, restaurants, sports and and well-being of all parties. remarkable 96.6% pass recreation resuming normal operations rate in May 2021. Twenty- When starting this fall, I’d like to share with eight out of 29 workshop recently. NIU is not an exception and I you that our undergraduate program in students passed the am so excited to Operations and Information certification test with an average score of 73. welcome you back Systems, our graduate programs in for a more normal Management Information Systems (MIS) NIU OM&IS Department and traditional and Data Analytics (MSDA) continue to be is ranked #81 at UT Dallas university campus very successful and strong. For example, we Top 100 for Productivity in Information Systems experience this fall. have added three additional course sections Most of our courses (IS) research from 2017 for the MSDA this fall due to high enrollment to 2020. The UT Dallas’ will be run fully face growth. Moreover, the OM&IS Department research ranking has to face in Barsema is ranked No. 81 at UT Dallas Top 100 for been well known for its tracking publications in Hall. We have also Productivity in Information Systems (IS) scheduled some leading business journals research from 2017 to 2020. The UT Dallas’ and this is the first time courses in online or research ranking has been well known that the OM&IS has been hybrid mode to meet for its tracking publications in 24 leading ranked for the top faculty research in the MIS field. students’ needs. business journals. This is the first time that I want to remind you OM&IS has been ranked within the top 100 Professor Biagio Palese Chang Liu. that NIU requires nationwide for faculty research productivity. received the Association all students to get a for Information Systems I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter and (AIS) Award for COVID-19 vaccination for taking in-person please let us know your feedback. I’d like to Innovation in Teaching in courses this fall. Fully vaccinated students assure you that our faculty and staff have 2020. The AIS Award for Innovation in Teaching are not required to wear face masks or committed to help you learn, succeed and practice physical distancing in class but may recognizes outstanding stay on target for your planned graduation teaching in classroom do so if they prefer. Although NIU allows dates. We will do our best to help you with innovation. This award students to request exemption from the the knowledge and skills to run business specifically focuses on the uniqueness and vaccine requirement for documented health better by analyzing and improving processes or religious reasons, not fully vaccinated innovativeness that and using technology. increase student interest students are required to wear face masks at and drive achievement in all times in Barsema Hall. Non-compliance information technology. with masks could result in disciplinary actions, including being removed from Chang Liu One hundred and sixty Chair, and high school students classes. In addition, it is understandable for participated in an online faculty, department secretaries and advisors Information Systems mode of NIU Business Olympic Competition in April 2021. The OM&IS Department sponsored See Highlights on page 2. 2 OM&IS News Northern Illinois University College of Business

Kuryliw Named OM&IS Outstanding Alumnus Highlights Continued from page 1. After graduation as an more than $33 million programs by maturing a Mobile App Idea OM&IS major in 2010, Justin in annual revenue. Most recruiting partnerships competition during the Kuryliw joined Abbott recently, Justin led the for COB alumni, hosting event. Eleven high school Laboratories, serving in development of a Salesforce hands-on educational events teams presented their multiple IT roles while application which helped for students and providing mobile app ideas virtually. Professors Yipeng he aided in the university companies navigate the career mentorship for Liu, Biagio Palese and recruiting program, COVID-19 pandemic, graduating students. Justin Federico Bassetti served helping to hire OM&IS highlighting Justin’s also serves as a member on the judge panel and graduates and championing creativity, compassion of the OM&IS Executive awarded two winning teams for their Business the sponsorship of and commitment to Advisory Council and is a Olympics Mobile App NIU’s Experiential customer success. passionate NIU Huskies Idea competition. Learning Center (ELC), Kuryliw has advanced our football fan. where students made Instructor Federico Kuryliw continues to build Bassetti served as a recommendations on the opportunities for OM&IS faculty coach for NIU tools, techniques and best students by providing hands- 40TUDE’s creative agency team composed of four practices used in Abbott on experiences with CRM Nutrition’s global OM&IS students in fall technology, and has helped 2020 and spring 2021. digital marketing. place participating students 40TUDE is a university- Kuryliw now serves as a at Salesforce and across community initiative to support small local strategic solution engineer the growing ecosystem. businesses that have been at Salesforce, where he Currently, Kuryliw is struggling during the advises executives at working with OM&IS faculty COVID-19 pandemic. The Salesforce’s most strategic on ways to further improve 40TUDE students learned how to work with their commercial accounts on curriculum content around business clients to deliver digital transformation and the applications of CRM a product or service that customer experience. To and Artificial Intelligence would make a difference date, Justin has influenced Justin Kuryliw. in business. in the clients’ businesses. Professors Charles Petersen and Balaji Rajagopalan taught a supply chain management and digital transformation strategy course respectively for China’s Nanjing EMBA program for the first time in a fully online mode in 2021. Faculty recognized for excellence

Outstanding Faculty Research Graduate Faculty Teaching Undergraduate Faculty Outstanding Faculty Service Award — Kishen Iyengar. Award — Biagio Palese. Teaching Award — Award — Jung Young Lee. Chuck Downing. OM&IS News Northern Illinois University College of Business 3

OM&IS, MIS and MSDA Student Spotlight Anna McComb, B.S./OM&IS ’21 I always knew I liked math, they have to offer, I slowly databases to automate so I thought I’d follow the realized my passion for using processes for my team. engineering path. It took data to solve problems in After the summer, I me halfway through Physics business, and communicate started job hunting at to realize what I didn’t both those problems and consulting companies like and halfway into Intro those solutions to clients. where I could utilize to Business Information The summer after my both the communication Systems to realize what I sophomore year, I interned aspects and the technical did — and it wasn’t just math with John Deere on their ones. Luckily, KPMG was — it was data. Going through and finance hiring students for their business classes at Barsema team. Though I loved the risk consulting technology and taking advantage of job, I found myself still assurance team that were all the helpful career and seeking out projects related majoring in finance and networking opportunities to analytics and building See McComb on page 4. Anna McComb. Thomas Ogundipe, M.S./MIS ’21 I had received my bachelor’s business itself. It was at this OM&IS program taught me in arts from NIU but did not point that I discovered the that what is truly important find satisfaction in the field OM&IS department and my is finding a solution that fits that I had gotten into. During own personal journey began. the problem. Being capable my time with Midland States The OM&IS brings a fluid of thinking critically and Bank, I was curious how combination of business solving the problem at hand information from one piece management and the utilizing IT and business of software was translated ever-changing IT. One solutions together, are skills into another piece of misconception of this idea is that give OM&IS graduates software that was completely that many believe that using the edge they need to be different and how decisions IT means that you must have successful in their future. were made using data best of the best software to I have grown into an gathered from past and keep up with competitors, individual with the hard current clients, their actions which is not the case. The and all other facets of the See Ogundipe on page 4. Thomas Ogundipe. Johnnie Jones, M.S./MSDA ’21 What’s the company you recruiter contacted me about architect. I now work as a currently work for and how an opportunity at Walmart. Business Solution Lead with long have you been working I was flown into Arkansas our Global Technology group there? and given an offer letter at which gives me a chance I work for Walmart Global the end of the interview. to work with some of the Technology and will have Briefly describe your job. company’s data scientists. been at Walmart for 10 years What do you enjoy most The thing I like most about in August this year. about your job? my job is the ability to work with brilliant technologists How did you find this job I spent my first eight across the globe. opportunity? years with the Financial How did your education in I was a technology Technology group working on financial planning and the MSDA program prepare consultant contracted by you for your job? the Department of Energy budgeting solutions before in South Carolina when a being promoted to solutions See Jones on page 4. Johnnie Jones. 4 OM&IS News Northern Illinois University College of Business

Virtual OM&IS Meet the Firm Event The department is hosting the annual Meet the Firm Night Hired platform using Symplicity. For more information and to (Career Fair) from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. register please visit: go.niu.edu/OMISMeettheFirm.

The event will be hosted online through the Huskies Get

Scholarship and McComb Continued from page 3. Award Winners accounting but had an emphasis in IT, and as an OM&IS/ The OM&IS Department awarded a total of $68,450 in Finance double major I qualified for the job and received it. scholarships during the 2020-2021 academic year. Due to The internship program this summer looked a bit different COVID-19, the scholarships were awarded to the students as it was virtual, but I was offered a full-time position in directly without an award ceremony. The scholarship July 2021 in Chicago to be on the team. I can’t wait to use all sponsors and recipients are: the technical course knowledge and the soft skills I learned Business Enterprise Computing and SAP Scholarships here at NIU to succeed at KPMG. OM&IS isn’t something I — Albert Gracz, Jeremy Levine, Jillian Moorman, would’ve pictured myself liking had you told me five years Snigdha Kalagadda, Srushti Mangesh Somvanshi, Can Sun ago what it was, but it’s such an underrated program that’s so and Anthony Abavelim. highly ranked at NIU and has such amazing staff. CNA/AZEL Carter Scholarship — John Holliday. Deutsch Family Scholarships — Dalleny Roman, Ogundipe Jackie Ferreira and Emilee Thumm. Continued from page 3. Beth Towell Excellence in Data Analytics Scholarship — skills needed to be successful in my future, thanks to NIU’s Xavier Smith. OM&IS department and its faculty. Throughout my time in Kathleen McFadden Community Service Scholarship — the program, I took every opportunity available to me such Zachary Lamarca. as earning my certificate in Data Analytics as well as serving Brian Osterberg Memorial Scholarship — on the graduate council as a representative of the business Nathaniel Narofsky. school. I received valuable information from the various professionals that took time from their busy lives to speak Shail Godambe Family Scholarship — Braden Vercler. about their professions to our classes. Upon graduating from Jeffrey Burton Lollar Memorial Scholarship — NIU, I received an offer from CDW to take on the role of Sales Curtis Baryla. Analytics Specialist utilizing my skills and knowledge of Marian E. Millington Scholarships for Advancement of business and technology. I was thrilled to finally see my hard Women in IT — Abigail Wood, Liana Roman and work and experience pay off in a big way. Sydney Guerra. OM&IS Faculty Scholarship — Sofia Gomez Enriquez Riart. Jones OM&IS Leadership Award — Curtis Baryla. Continued from page 3.

OM&IS Student Excellence (Liu Family) Scholarship — The classes I have taken have helped with my new position Mingyi Chen. in better understanding business intelligence concepts, Outstanding MIS Student Scholarship — visualization concepts, text-data mining and machine Sukahada Satish Kanetkar. learning. These are very helpful with my current job Outstanding OM&IS Student Scholarship — responsibilities. Alberto Briones. What advice will you give to current or prospective Pearson Publisher Scholarships — Jeremy Levine and MSDA students? Wilson Karanja. Use this opportunity in school to learn as much as you Stanley Lipien and James Mailander Scholarship — can about technology. Go beyond the grade and challenge Ryan Jackson. yourselves to seek understanding that will help you someday contribute to the advancement of technology. William and Eileen Brietzke Endowed Scholarships — Qasim Deen, Zachary Lamarca, Jacob Schlegel, Lance Dolan, Is there anything else you want us to highlight about you? Nathaniel Narofsky, Alberto Briones, Xavier Smith, I am also completing a master’s in educational psychology at

Abigail Wood, Liana Roman and Sydney Guerra. Northern Illinois University. Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Printed by authority of the state of Illinois. niu.edu 53682 7/21