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TIM program shines in ITERA national competition

March 24, 2008

KALAMAZOO--A team of four students in the Telecommunications and Information Management program at Western Michigan University has placed in the top three in the International Telecommunications Education and Research Association's 2008 National Case Study Competition, qualifying the team for the final round of national competition later this week.

Members of the team are Colin Cady of Rockford, Mich., Ben Krupp of Sparta, Mich., Ryan Lasure of Sterling Heights, Mich., and Justin Knapp of Royal Oak, Mich. The students will go on to the final round of competition and make a public presentation at ITERA's national conference March 27-29 in Louisville, Ky.

This year's case study involved designing the "campus of the future" at "Cool University." The ITERA case study competition invites student project teams throughout the United States to develop solutions to applied problems involving communication and information technology. The case study challenge is open to both graduate and undergraduate information and communication technology related programs.

Cool University is a leading edge educational institution focused on integrating technology into the daily operations of the campus as well as supporting the academic mission. The WMU project team was asked to analyze the structural requirements for Cool University and develop a blueprint for creating a technologically superior communications infrastructure.

According to Dr. Mike Tarn, WMU associate professor of business information systems, the project team's advisor and TIM coordinator in the Haworth College of Business, the team developed a strategy that allows for high bandwidth allocation, enhanced security management via RFID--radio frequency identification--and the convergence of voice, data and video traffic using a fiber optic-based network. In addition, the proposed "cool network" features mobile and wireless capability that provides connectivity from virtually anywhere on or off campus.

"The primary objective is to enhance campuswide technical communication and interactivity, as well as create a foundation platform that is capable of supporting future growth and expansion," says Dr. Richard Gershon, WMU professor of communication and the TIM coordinator in the WMU College of Arts and Sciences.

The interdisciplinary major in TIM is offered through the Computer Information Systems program, Department of Business Information Systems, Haworth College of Business and the School of Communication in the College of Arts and Sciences. The TIM program prepares students for the fastest-growing occupations projected by the U.S. Department of Labor. It is designed to train students in a variety of telecommunications and data communication subdisciplines. The program's mission is to give students a well-balanced education in a variety of business and technical management issues.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

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