Faculty Director's Message
1-31-11

Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program

2010 was a banner year for us, highlighted by a second $5 million gift from College of Business alumnus, Steven A. Denning, IM '70. Mr. Denning’s initial $5 million gift launched the Program in 2007. This second gift will be matched through the $20 million College of Business Challenge Fund, bringing the total funding to $15 million. Each individual associated with the program sincerely appreciates this confidence in and commitment to what we are building.

This additional funding of the program, now called Steven A. Denning Technology & Management Program, will provide extraordinary opportunities for our students. One of our first steps is to expand the scope to include students from the College of Computing and the College of Sciences. I am certain that their contributions will enrich the value of the program for both our students and our corporate affiliates.

Another addition to the Denning Program is the incorporation of international experiences. A group of students met recently with Mr. Denning to share their career goals and experiences. Mr. Denning discussed his career and stressed the importance of developing a global business perspective. Based on this encouragement, an international academic trip is planned for March 2011 to broaden our students’ knowledge of foreign and emerging markets as well as technologies in markets outside of the United States.

One-hundred Percent Affiliate Renewal Rate
Another highlight is the Denning Program’s 100% corporate affiliate renewal rate as well as the addition of two more affiliates: Newell Recycling and Interface. Each affiliate has provided an exciting capstone project, the quality of which reflects confidence in the students’ abilities. Affiliates have learned that capstone projects can represent substantial business opportunity and have quickly seen the benefits. As an example, rather than hire consultants for a challenging project, one affiliate plans to use it as this year’s capstone project because of the positive experience with last year’s capstone team.

Scholarship Support for Business Students
Thanks to the Holland Underwood Foundation, the program will be able to attract a larger number of outstanding business students. The Lonnie A. “Aubry” Holland Technology & Management Scholarship Fund will begin providing multiple scholarships for business students in 2012, helping us to raise the quality and quantity of our applicants and to reduce the financial burden some of our students face when the requirements of the program extends their length of study at Georgia Tech 

Student Skills a Hit in the Job Market
As the program matures, our students are graduating and accepting excellent job offers.  Several have accepted positions in corporate leadership programs, including three with Siemens. The average yearly salary for engineering students and management students in our program is $59,000 (as of Dec. 2010).  This represents a 10–15 percent premium over the average undergraduate starting salaries in the same majors.

Managing 11 events, seven guest executive speakers and six fall semester classes for more than 80 students has kept us busy, but the success of these events and the student’s enthusiasm were rewarding. The number of educational events increased this fall with the inclusion of a Diversity Challenges Working on Teams workshop and a Business Writing workshop. Adding students from Georgia Tech’s Colleges of Computing and Sciences and the new international component will add to the challenge, but we are gratified, energized and excited about the year ahead.