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Robert Moore is founder and CEO of the thriving startup RJMetrics, but he still manages to find time for mentoring Temple students. Luckily, the man is no stranger to multi-tasking.

An entrepreneur since high school, Moore began his first web design firm before turning eighteen, then created and sold Poker odds software while studying at Princeton.

“Entrepreneurship is in my blood,” he said, adding: “If you knew what you were in for [when starting a business]…you’d have to be a bit out of your mind.”

It’s an inspiring kind of “insanity.” In 2009, Moore directed his formidable energy into his first “potential billion-dollar idea”: RJMetrics, a cloud-based software solution for small-to-medium sized companies.

“I noticed a trend of fast-growing companies not being able to understand their data to run their businesses better. The Fortune Five Million is really underserved in that universe. We started with a very real problem and built the right solution for it.”

RJMetrics provides a web-based service that empowers its clients to analyze customer data and make better decisions through that data analysis; they serve companies that range from mom-and-pop shops to medium-sized corporations.

“We use ingenuity and the cloud, and we take advantage of open-source software,” said Moore, noting the timeliness of his company’s inception. “The business can only exist in this time.”

For the Fox School’s Management Information Systems department, RJMetrics is a kind of pedagogical turnkey: the perfect real-world example of core concepts and methodologies taught in David Schuff’s Data Analytics course.

“[Robert] came in and did a guest talk in the class,” said Professor Schuff. “We also created two projects that are linked to what RJMetrics does: in the first exercise, our students use RJMetrics’ database that feeds the trial version of their product to perform a sophisticated data analysis in Excel. In the second exercise, students use their knowledge of data visualization to evaluate the effectiveness of the graphs and charts in RJMetrics’ dashboard.”

Thanks to Moore’s willingness to mentor at the university, it’s become a fruitful partnership. This past year, Moore delivered the keynote address at Temple’s Analytics Challenge, addressing the growing “data exhaust” that’s collecting and being stored in the cloud: “[It] changes the way that data can and is used…[and] changes the future of business.”

Moore’s knowledge, expertise, and savvy are valuable assets to Temple’s students—but the symbiosis is mutually beneficial. “It’s awesome to see that kind of passion for knowledge [in the students],” said Moore. “It kind of makes me feel young again: to be in the room with a bunch of students who are clearly very smart, very driven, and have a lot to learn. And the other side of the coin? We hire a lot of Temple students.”

For Schuff, the possibilities are numerous. When asked what was cooking for his newest roster of incoming students, Schuff said: “We definitely plan to engage with RJMetrics in future classes.”

This past May, BBA in MIS upperclassmen presented 15 original projects in MIS’s semi-annual Showcase—the class’s final sendoff before completing their Capstone Course.

Comprising 15 teams, the 72 students (and largest class to date) worked together to develop projects that reflected and drew from their myriad experiences at Fox. They were mentored by real-world business leaders, many of them members of the Fox IT Advisory Board, who became the event’s judges on the day of the competition.

“The most rewarding part was actually presenting to a group of important industry professionals,” said student Alexa Dardes, whose team designed a travel app called “Euro101.” “Everyone took our ideas and thoughts seriously, which is something I really appreciated.”

Of the projects, first place and $500 were awarded to “Streamline,” a web application that uses one central interface to let users access all of their online video subscriptions. “We capitalized on our strengths and developed an expansive prototype, meeting a current need in an exciting way,” said team member Robert Scanlon.

Second place and $250 were given to “Time2Drink,” a mobile application designed for bar owners and their patrons. “Working with our mentor Joe Spagnoletti was invaluable as he taught us how to keep the business aspects of development in mind throughout the entire process,” said team member Jeffrey McMahon.

“The quality of the presentations has gotten better every semester,” said Bruce Hohne, who taught two of the course’s three sections (the third was taught by Munir Mandviwalla). “Plus, it was the first time ever that we invited some of the underclassmen [to the showcase],” Bruce added. “They’ll be on the other side of the podium next year. It was great preparation.”

Keeping up tradition, next semester’s MIS class will surely unveil projects that continue to innovate.

 Below is a complete list of projects, students, and mentors.

Streamline (first place)
Students: Joe Cenatiempo, Pat Edmunds, Andy Roche, Bob Scanlon, Josh Wise
Mentor: Jonathan Brassington, Partner and CEO, LiquidHub
An online video portal that lets users watch video from every site to which they subscribe, all in one location.

Time2Drink (runner-up)
Students: Jeff McMahon, Jordan Fata, Aidan O’Kane, Paul Womer, Joshua Stern
Mentor: Joseph Spagnoletti, SVP & CIO, Campbell’s Soup Company
A mobile application that provides value to the customer, bar owner, and bartender, facilitating a more streamlined bar-going experience.

Euro101
Students: Alexa Dardes, Tom Fecca, Murtada Alkinani, Taylor Perry, Gladys Guardia
Mentor: Larry Dignan, Editor in Chief, ZDNet
An application that takes the guesswork out of traveling to Europe, assisting with pre-trip planning and offering critical travel information.

Loucator
Students: Daniel Goff, William Trost, Brian Locklear, David Giusti, Colin Farrell
Mentor: Rich Cohen, Managing Director, Deloitte
A “Yelp for bathrooms,” this mobile application aggregates user-generated reviews, comments, and photos of nearby public restrooms.

What’s Due?
Students: Mike Nordeman, Shane Amzovski, Garland Walker, Megan Gasper
Mentor: David Kaufman, Executive Consultant and Partner, FIN Strategy Adviser
A mobile application through which college professors can upload tests, quizzes, homework, and readings, and students can download materials to sync them to their calendars.

Net Linx
Students: Brittany Hafer, Ngoc Le, Sneh Patel, Scott Raff, Yolandra Brown
Mentor: Varghese Thomas, SVP and Global Head of Infrastructure Solutions, NYSE
A personalized network management solution that lets users keep track of people they meet without having to juggle business cards or other materials.

Venturin’ Philly
Students: David Omojogunra, Justin Kane, Luke Kockott, Sam Peyros, Adam Kuhn
Mentor: Craig Conway, Chief Technology Officer, Livingston International
An interactive application that recommends restaurants, attractions, and little-known destinations in Philadelphia.

White Collar
Students: Jim Davanzo, Brianna Judge, Nicholas Horn, Miraziz Zakhidov, John Shaw
Mentor: Robert Moore, CEO, RJMetrics
A wardrobe management application for young professionals that schedules and recommends outfits for workdays and business events.

VolunteerNet
Students: Vexhi “Ng” Buharaja, Kelley Davis, Sean Wheeler, Mike Reeser, Reham Raja
Mentor: Andrea Anania, Former CIO, Cigna
A web-based portal that uses a matching algorithm to connect organizations to qualified, desired volunteers.

Temple Human Resources Process Mapping
Students: Oksana Arpaderli, Gabrielle Lopez, Thomas Patterson, Hoaivy Tran Pham, Thanh Tran
Mentor: Rick Morris, Project Manager, Temple University
A program that isolates areas of improvement in Temple’s HR business processes and improves employee satisfaction.

Canoe
Mentor: Jeff Hamilton, Senior VP, Pfizer
Students: Tatsuya Emoto, Sun Min Ma, Omer M. Sabir, Chad Unera, Anthony Bonanni
A web-meta search engine, which allows users to compile all possible travel routes between various locations by using different ground transportation services.

Pro Recommendation
Students: Matt Andrien, Joseph Doyle, Jessica Margetich, Sara Rezaeian
Mentor: Tim O’Rourke, VP & CIO, Computer and Financial Services
An authenticating and efficiency-boosting system for requesting and submitting professional letters of recommendation.

Dream Big
Students: Joe Nespoli, Patrick Cantelmi, Kayla Shaffer, Jason Lee, David Dupel
Mentor: Niraj Patel, EVP & CIO, Witmer LLC
A website that provides advice and private mentoring to high school students.

Last Fan Standing
Students: Cameron Crossley, John Carsia, Jackie Ling, Darin Bartholomew, Roman Nicholas
Mentor: Bruce Fadem, Former VP & CIO, Wyeth
A mobile trivia sports application that allows players to enter into communal trivia games at low cost and compete for the chance to win large cash prizes.

Travelator
Students: Michael Mastrocola, Jaspreet Badesha, Priyanka Ranu, Amandeep Kaur, Mauchel Barthelemy
Mentor: Joe Weiss, Chairman, Electronic Ink
A personalized travel application that caters to the user’s likes, interests, hobbies, cultural background, and more.

Instructors

• Munir Mandviwalla
• Bruce Hohne

Credits: Photos, Joe Allegra

What are public libraries, how do they reflect the community, and what innovations will allow them to remain relevant? These were the central questions that governed the recent Design+Innovation workshop at the Free Library of Philadelphia, led by Professor James Moustafellos and funded by the Knight Foundation in support of the library’s innovation initiative.

Part of a series of arts-engagement events, the workshop hosted 40 participants and tapped eight MIS undergraduates from Moustafellos’ Digital Design course to serve as group leaders, analysts, and ethnographic research assistants.

The students worked directly with senior library administrators, library staff, and community members to create portraits of five pilot libraries for an upcoming large-scale renovation—thus applying their MIS-imparted skills in a complex, hands-on, real-world setting.

“The library [and network of libraries] is itself an information system,” Moustafellos said. “It enables people to access information, to perform tasks, to interact with technology and get things done.”

The four-hour event was the culmination of several weeks of background research and ethnographic field work. The students’ preparations included taking photographs, logging notes, and conducting interviews in and around the surrounding communities.

“The branch I worked with has a fascinating history of immigrants coming to change the local flavor multiple times in the past century,” said student participant Michelangelo Collura. Added fellow student Emily Wylde: “The most rewarding part was being able to learn so much about the community and the impact that the library has on it.”

During the workshop, the attendees split off into smaller teams, each of which created three-dimensional models to visually express the concept of “community”—and what a library within that community represented.

“It was so interesting to visualize the interaction between the library and all its members,” said Moustafellos. “It was a great surprise to see models so rich and revealing.”

Attendees comprised both local residents and artists selected to have their original work appear in the libraries after the upcoming renovations. Reflecting on the event’s success, student Andre Messa concluded: “Being able to witness complete strangers coming together for the better of their community was amazing. I was glad to be a part of the experience.”

In Spring 2015, the Fox School of Business will offer a brand new Master of Science degree in Digital Innovation in Marketing–delivering all of its classes entirely online. The program is one of only a handful of graduate degrees in the country that explores the intersection between information systems and marketing.

Students pursuing the degree will become well-versed in new marketing innovations that extend to the mobile, social, analytical, and online spheres, integrating marketing, advertising, sales, and logistics across physical and digital channels.

“The demand for people with this overlapping skill set is huge,” said Bruce Hohne, the program’s Director, whose career has led him from Rohm and Haas to hibu to teaching full-time at Temple. “The field is growing and there hasn’t been much of a source of talent generation—until now.”

By harnessing the far-reaching power of online learning, and not requiring any on-site residency, the program will be maximally accessible to students. Those enrolled will reap the benefits of an online classroom environment that is ideal for teaching and engagement.

“The learning objectives will be tied to the style of delivery,” said Hohne, as he described some of the powerful learning tools at Fox’s disposal. These will include:

“Learnathons,” which will foster intense, concentrated interaction by utilizing web conferencing and small group sessions; co-creative tasks and self-study, which require that instructors and students generate, share, and comment on course content interactively, but on independent schedules; meet-ups, which comprise informal online discussions; and professional development tools like e-portfolios, identity management, career development, and interactions with potential employers.

The roster of professors who have signed on to teach the new curriculum are both academic thought leaders and “real-world practitioners,” poised to train students in the most current generation of tools and techniques available today. “They will draw from professional experience that extends far beyond the classroom,” said Hohne.

Post-graduation, the career possibilities are abundant. Armed with the new Master of Science degree, graduates will be primed for an enormous variety of paths, from marketing analysis to online marketing management to data science.

The Master of Science in Digital Innovation in Marketing is presented jointly by the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management and the Department of Management Information Systems.

For more information on the program or enrollment please visit here.

ITACS is proud to offer a new Cyber Security Track.

As the field of cyber-security greets new threats and regulations every single day, Temple’s Information Technology Auditing and Cyber-Security program is dedicated to staying ahead of the curve. In pursuit of this goal, the program has created a brand new Cyber Security Track, now offered to ITACS’ ever-growing student body (whose numbers soared from 11 students in 2012 to approximately 50 this year).

With Associate Director Gregory Senko perched at the helm, the new Cyber Security Track features an exciting Cyberwar course in the Spring Semester, alongside other cutting-edge courses, including:

Data Analytics for IT Auditors – Basic data analysis concepts are presented and then applied. Examines the emerging approach of continuous audit and using data analytics to investigate datasets produced by audit and security controls.

• Intrusion Detection & Response – Students learn the variety of tool and techniques used to prevent attacks, quickly identify successful attacks, detect advanced persistent threats and monitor systems activity.
• Securing the Digital Infrastructure – Examines issues related to securing the components of a company’s infrastructure, reviewing network, firewall, and basic operating system security issues.
• Ethical Hacking – Introduces students to hacking strategies and tactics used by ethical or “White Hat” hackers. A theoretical and exercise-based exploration of Security Penetration through vulnerability exploitation. 
• Cyber Security Capstone – Reviews all topics covered in the track; prepares for SSCP exam; requires students to research an emerging topic in the field of IT assurance.

ITACS continues to post impressive achievement numbers, as 80% of ITACS students passed the CISA on their first try, and 100% secured jobs after graduation—figures that reflect not just the quality of the training but also mounting demand for professionals armed with ITACS skills. 

The Fox IT Advisory Board, comprising top business leaders from multiple industries, has announced a new scholarship program to begin in Fall of 2014. Funded on a voluntary basis and managed by the board’s members, the scholarship grants select students awards of $5,000 toward tuition each year, totaling approximately $50,000 awarded annually.

Just how are the students chosen? We spoke with Advisory Board Chairman Bruce Fadem, former CIO and VP of Wyeth, who cited as primary criteria exceptional academic achievement, previous accomplishments, and future potential. “A minimum GPA will be used to screen candidates,” said Fadem. “The board will also consider need in their decision-making process.”

In order to apply, students must submit a personal statement, a faculty or employer letter of recommendation, and a link to any available e-portfolios (an aggregate of projects they’ve completed while studying at Temple).

When asked what inspired the scholarship’s creation, Fadem commented: “At an Advisory Board meeting, a few of the members were asking, ‘What more could we do? What could we do to help the MIS department?’” Once the idea of a scholarship was proposed, Fadem set up a subcommittee to nail down the details—i.e. the scholarship’s structure, its funding, and its criteria. It wasn’t long before the Advisory Board voted unanimously in its favor.

When asked what he considered the most rewarding aspect of having served on the board for the past eight years, Fadem described his excitement at having witnessed the program’s soaring growth and reputation. 

The roster of scholarship recipients will be announced on April 8, 2014, during Fox’s annual IT awards. Best of luck to all who have applied!

The Fox IT Advisory Board

• Bruce Fadem (Chair), Former VP & CIO, Wyeth
• Andrea Anania, Former VP & CIO, CIGNA
• Michael Bradshaw, VP & CIO, Lockheed Martin 
• Jonathan A. Brassington, Founding Partner, CEO, LiquidHub Inc.
• Rich Cohen, Managing Director, Deloitte
• Craig Conway, CTO, Livingston International
• Larry Dignan, Editor-in-Chief, ZDnet
• Jeff Hamilton, SVP, Business Technology, Pfizer
• Ben-Saba Hasan, SVP – IT, Walmart
• David Kaufman, Executive Consultant & Partner, FIN Strategy Advisers
• George Llado, VP – IT, Merck & Co., Inc.
• Tim O’Rourke, VP & CIO, Temple University
• Matt Pammer, VP – IS, AstraZeneca
• Niraj Patel, Chief Strategy Officer, Elsag North America
• Kent Seinfeld, Retired SVP & CIO, Commerce Bank
• Joseph Spagnoletti, SVP & CIO, Campbell Soup Company
• Joe Weiss, Chairman, Electronic Ink