Thursday, December 4, 2008 the ITRI along with the Information Systems Department hosted the first IT Day for Parents and Educators.  The event was held in the Walker Hall Seminar from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  Designed for the parents and educators of junior high and high school students, the program brought in more than 100 participants from the state of Arkansas.  This event is a part of our mission to promote student interest in the study of information technology and facilitate the exchange of information between academic and business community.

Moez Limayem started off the program with a quick overview of the Information Technology field and the degree program at the Walton College before introducing the three company panelist. 

Kay Palmer - Chief Information Officer of J. B. Hunt Transportation Services

Dee Hency - Vice President - Administration and Chief Information Officer of Southwestern Energy Company

Dan Phillips - Vice President, Operations and Technology of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Each representative spoke briefly about the state of the information technology field and related that to their company’s perspective before fielding questions from the audience.  Each panelist debunked myths about the industry and spoke about the need to increase the number of students obtaining degrees in the field of IT.  They also spoke very well about the program offered at the Walton College.

Representatives of the university spoke about scholarships, financial aid, and career development.  Catherine Dehm a Financial Aid Officer spoke about the need for students to start the application process as soon as possible.  She also provided documents that attendees could reference after having left the event.  Autumn Parker and Bryan Hembree spoke about scholarship opportunities and what is necessary to get scholarships.  Autumn Parker also provided a quick tour of the Business Corridor and the technology that the students would be exposed to if they chose the University of Arkansas to get their Information Systems degree.  Heather Sprandel Director of the Walton College Career Development Center made a presentation about the services that the center offers in reference to helping students find jobs.  They do everything from helping a student create a resume to setting up interviews with companies.

We feel like the event was a great success.  So look for us to do more with the high schools as well as junior high schools to promote students’ interest in information technology.  On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, we scheduled another IT Day.  Unlike last night’s event, this event will be tailored directly to the students. 

For more information about this event Please contact Carlan Pine cpine@walton.uark.edu or 479-575-4261