[Hidden-tech] IT Profile Project Seeks IT Professionals

[angelap at comm.umass.edu]

Dear Hidden Tech Member,

My name is Angela Paradise, and I am a doctoral student at the University of 
Massachusetts-Amherst. I am working with a statewide higher education 
initiative to encourage a broader mix of students to study information 
technology (IT), and I am writing to see if you might help us.  

Massachusetts is a national leader in an approach to IT education called “IT 
Across the Curriculum” (ITAC) which seeks to provide substantial IT education 
to students of all majors.  In ITAC programs, students learn about IT from 
many different perspectives and are taught by a diverse faculty from a variety 
of academic departments.  The results are promising: a much more diverse 
population of students has been enrolling than what is seen in other technical 
degree programs, and students report high satisfaction with their 
experiences.  

The project I am working on will build on this idea to give prospective IT 
students an awareness of the many ways people work with IT in a variety of 
fields.  Over this next year, we will develop “profiles” of employees in 
Massachusetts who do interesting work requiring expertise in both IT and some 
other field.  Students want to know what opportunities await them after 
graduation, and these profiles will exemplify the wide range of occupations 
where IT expertise is an important asset.

We hope that you will consider being profiled for this important project. The 
time commitment is minimal, requiring a 30-45 minute interview at your 
convenience.  (The interview questions could be posed and answered over email 
as well, if this option fits better into your schedule.) During this 
interview, I will ask questions regarding your educational background, career 
path, current occupation, and perspectives on IT.  In addition, we would ask 
your permission to be photographed (or provide us with a recent photo) so that 
we may include a photo in your profile. Following the interview, we would 
write your profile based on your interview, and you would have the opportunity 
to make any revisions to the draft. 

If you are willing to be profiled or have any questions regarding this 
project, please e-mail me at angelap at comm.umass.edu. We also encourage you to 
visit www.umass.edu/itprogram and www.citi.mass.edu to learn more about the 
UMASS Information Technology Program (as one ITAC example) and the 
Commonwealth Information Technology Initiative, respectively. Thank you for 
your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Angela Paradise
Doctoral Candidate
University of Massachusetts-Amherst