Graduate School of Management & Technology News — Spring Highlights

What’s New in the Job Market? Homeland Security

Q: What do we really mean when we talk about homeland security?

A: The government’s definition of homeland security focuses on terrorism: acts of violence designed to achieve political ends. We’ve taken a broader definition, including criminal activity like identity theft and other scams that are felonies but that may not be politically motivated.

As we’ve become increasingly dependent on information technology—it basically glues together our critical infrastructure, including transportation, energy, biotechnology, water, and more—our vulnerability has increased, along with the number of things you have to manage in order to achieve a basic level of security. And there are plenty of people in the world who want to exploit that, whether for criminal or political ends.

DON GOFF, architect of UMUC’s Homeland Security specializations.

Q: What is the demand like for professionals in the field?

A: The demand is huge. The current administration has created what is or will become the largest civilian agency in the government—the Department of Homeland Security—and that has focused attention and need. There are very few people currently in the workforce who have the skills to satisfy the needs of that department or the related needs of other federal agencies and of the private sector. I’ve seen one study that says we need about 7,000 people a year in Maryland alone simply to handle cybersecurity, but our schools are only graduating a few hundred!

Q: What might a career path look like for someone interested in homeland security?

A: We built this master’s level track and certificate program so that it’s modular. It will work for people who have undergraduate education in fire science, criminal justice, forensics, or information assurance, as well as for those with backgrounds in general business who want a better understanding of security threats and how to deal with them. It will also align with the Doctor of Management program for people who wish to further specialize in security.

MyUMUC Integrates Student Services at High Speed

UMUC students sit in executive boardrooms in Seattle, work from home in the suburbs of Virginia, or are stationed overseas with the military. That presents a challenge. A student who needs to pay a bill, fill out a form, or check on graduation status seldom has the luxury of just dropping by.

The new MyUMUC student portal, at https://my.umuc.edu, responds to that challenge by providing a secure, single point of access to the university’s business and record-keeping functions. If you have something you need to do at UMUC, now you can go to our new portal at https://my.umuc.edu. Log in, and

• Submit an application for admission
• Check your admission status
• Register for classes
• Browse course listings and view required and recommended supplementary materials
• Apply for financial aid and check your status
• Pay your bill
• Find your academic advisor, or
• Check for important announcements.

Start Using Your Student Portal

Enjoy “one-stop shopping” on MyUMUC:

Get Informed: Go to www.umuc.edu/myumuc and learn about the portal in the Student Information Center.

Explore with Explorer: The portal is optimized to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you don’t already use Internet Explorer, download it at www.microsoft.com.

Get Your EmplID: You can apply online through the portal by clicking “Prospective Student” and choosing “Apply for Admissions.” Your e-mail address and date of birth must be correct! Once your application has been processed, you’ll receive your identification number—your “EmplID,”in portal-speak—by e-mail.

Get Your Bearings: Once you’ve signed in to MyUMUC, you will always know where you are in the portal by looking at the navigation bar at the left. The area you are visiting will be highlighted.

Clear Your Cache: You can avoid many potential problems with the MyUMUC portal by deleting cookies and temporary files from your hard drive. For step-by-step instructions, visit www.umuc.edu/myumuc and click on “Troubleshooting Hints.”

Get Organized: For security reasons, the portal will log you out if your account is idle for more than 20 minutes. To avoid this, have important materials nearby when using the portal. To apply to UMUC, you may need

• The names of schools you attended, dates you attended, and degrees or diplomas you earned
• Your driver’s license, vehicle registration, and voter registration (if you’re applying for in-state tuition)
• Your visa information (if you are an international student)

Future Phases to Enhance MyUMUC

Another feature of the new portal is that it will grow with time. In the months ahead, new capabilities will be rolled out, allowing you to

• View and request unofficial and official transcripts
• View your enrollment verification
• Access a variety of Web applications, including links for ordering books and more
• Check your grades and overall GPA, and
• Apply for graduation

NEW M.S. in Health Administration Informatics Introduced Spring 2006

Integrating information technology with health care administration has become vital to the industry, Health Management Technology recently cited. And IT affects all strata of an organization—budgets, training, strategic planning.

Homeland Security Management Track Added to More Degree Programs

Now through four tracks and a certificate program, you can augment your degree program with Homeland Security coursework. Find out which degrees offer this new track providing managers the tools needed to work with government and keep companies safe in a post-9/11 world at http://www.umuc.edu/homelandsecurity/.

The Value-Added MBA

Networking, leadership, strategic management—THERESA POUSSAINTsays there is more than just coursework to an MBA from UMUC.

When UMUC graduate Theresa Poussaint considered schools for her MBA degree, Poussaint didn’t have to look far. With a B.S. in Communications Studies, Poussaint chose her alma mater because it was the “leader in online education”and “the trendsetter in distance learning.” UMUC also fit Poussaint’s lifestyle: she works full-time as a Loss Prevention Analyst with HMSHost—and she raises two daughters, aged 10 and 17.

Just as remarkable as earning an MBA while working and balancing personal concerns are the networking and volunteerism that have grown out of Poussaint’s graduate studies. Poussaint serves as president-elect for the UMUC Alumni Association and mentor for UMUC’s MBA Program. Her past positions include Vice President of the UMUC Alumni Association’s Communications Committee as well as of the Outreach and Chapter Development Committee. “The experiences I have gained as a student and volunteer for the Alumni Association were invaluable and have given me the opportunity to grow and meet so many great people through networking,” she said. Someone Poussaint admires, School of Undergraduate Studies Dean Mary Ellen Hrutka, brings together professional women each year in the Women’s Career Development Conference so female undergraduate students may begin networking.

Essential to UMUC’s MBA program are knowledge and experience to use in the workforce. Poussaint especially credits seminars that helped her to comprehend the components of corporate America. “I gained a better understanding about strategy and value creation in traditional, e-business and global business contexts,” she says. The seminars also allowed Poussaint to look at her organization from a managerial perspective. In particular, Strategic Management allowed her to meet face-to-face with the CEO of her own company, Jack McCarthy. In their discussions, she received the very specialized perspective of the leader of her company. Another seminar exposed Poussaint to Jack Welch’s book Winning. Welch, former CEO and chairman of General Electric who turned the company around, provided insights that taught her how to become successful in corporate America.