ITU Journal, Volume III, Issue III, Summer 2013

ITU Journal

When I was in college, I fell in with the wrong crowd.

It’s not that we were doing drugs or steal-ing exams. We were making good grades and leading almost every form of student government. Even some faculty, under raised eyebrows, al-lowed that we were good people.

Accomplishments

No one told you that you couldn’t!

Graduation Data Quality: An ongoing challenge

4 3 7PG. PG.9:00 AM, Sunny 90°

Friday, May 3, 2013 Heritage Theatre Campbell, CA

PG.

Creating and maintaining a highly inte-grated, high-quality information system (or database) is a key success factor for organizations. Typically, data is collected through various systems to support coher-ent and aggregate decision-making. However ineffective or lack-ing processes may result in ‘Garbage In, Garbage Out’.

By Richard Winn, Ph.D. By Ramesh Konda, Ph.D.

Volume III, Issue 3, Summer 2013International Technological University

The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become. -Harold Taylor

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Dear Graduates, You did it!!

It is the time of the year we all know and love: graduation. Friday, May 3rd is a memorable day for all of you. At graduation, it is the end, but at the same time, it is the beginning.

Looking back, you remember what you have learned. Looking forward, you will apply that learning. Your bright future is ahead of you. It

starts with your first step at graduation.

ITU considers your graduation ceremony an extremely exciting event. We see the happiness of graduates walking together, with pride, wearing their ITU regalia. At graduation we recognize your accomplishments in public; it is a moment of mutual pride. It is also a great time of personal pleasure and satisfaction for you, your family, your teachers, your friends, and the staff who have advised and guided you during your time at ITU.

We know that as you approach your graduation ceremony, you remember your begin-ning at ITU--the time you first stepped into the university. But graduation is unforget-table in that it’s the day you finish your education and are ready to walk out into the world and to make your work decisions. It is when your hard work pays off. Certain-ly graduation is a tremendous and touching moment filled with pleasure, amusement, hugs, smiles, pictures, hats thrown high toward the sky, and tears of happiness.

The journey that you began when you stepped through the university doors finally reaches its destination. My dear graduates, the day of your graduation is not the end. It is the start of a new journey. You will find not only new opportunities and experi-ences along the way, but also failures. Learn from all of them. Don’t be scared of challenges; take the risks and discover all the opportunities available tomorrow.

With the knowledge you gained during your studies, I am sure you will have success in your life. Now, after graduation comes the next chapter of life. Continue your good work. Never stop learning!

Congratulations to all the students of class 2013! I wish you the best of luck for your life ahead.

Amal Mougharbel, Ph.D.

Business Administration Department Chair Editor in Chief, ITU Journal

What’s Inside

Every summer the Journal celebrates graduation. If you missed the ceremony, you may read Sarah-Lynn Brunner’s com-mencement article. A poem describes the ceremony with cheerful images and meta-phors.

The speech “No one told you that you couldn’t do it!” from Dr. Richard Winn, Executive Director of WASC, describes the road to success for graduates, reflect-ing on his own experience and ITU’s accomplishments. Dr. Winn’s speech high-lights new adventures—with all the risks and opportunities.

Student Qiwen Xia, a.k.a. Michael, wrote that talking to ITU people convinces him of its friendly environment.

“Graduates Voice Their Thoughts,” de-scribes the students’ experience at ITU. You’ll read about students’ happy and joy-ful feelings after graduation from an ac-credited university. “AWESOME,” “great time,” and “amazing” show the delight in their special day.

ITU’s friendly environment encourages staff and students to return back to ITU, which is behind the story “It’s Exciting to Rejoin HR!”

The happiness continues with “Becoming A CQPA,” “ITU’s AI Research Featured at Conference” and “About ITU’s Electri-cal Engineering Research Program” -- all examples of this continuity.

President Yau-Gene Chan writes the final article on a great achievement. WASC’s Executive Committee voted to move up the effective date of ITU’s accreditation to December 1, 2012. Congratulations everyone!

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Volume III, Issue 3, Summer 2013

Commencement highlightsBy Sarah-Lynn Brunner, Career and Student Services Coordinator

The ITU 2013 commence-ment ceremony was a memorable event for the ITU faculty, staff, graduates, their family and friends.

Commencement was held on Friday, May 3rd at the beautiful Heritage Theater, located in downtown Campbell, California.

Family and friends of the graduating class filled the theater with cheers, as they celebrated their fellow graduates.

The ceremony opened with a warm welcoming speech from ITU’s president, Mr. Yau-Gene Chan. Following his speech was an outstanding perfor-mance of the “Star Spangled Banner” sung by ITU staff member, David Kim.

As a WASC accredited graduate school, ITU was very grateful to have Dr. Richard Winn as our key-note speaker. He is currently the WASC Executive Director. And for our student speaker, ITU’ s Stu-dent Government President, Qiwen Xia gave a heart-felt speech touching on his first experience at ITU, as well as his journey to receiving his Master’s degree.

After the speeches, several awards were given out. The Distinguished Faculty Award went to Profes-sor Barbara Arnoldussen, and the Staff Appreciation Award was given to IT Manager, Kranthi Kumar Lammatha.

Then it was time for the graduates to receive their diplomas. They came from four different programs: Software Engineer, Engineer Management, Business Administration, and Computer Science.

The graduation ended as graduates walked over to the reception room to enjoy food and drinks with their family and friends, and mingle with ITU’s faculty and staff. Many pictures were taken, flowers were given, and caps were flying in the air. Congrat-ulations to the graduating class of 2013!

A new BeginningBy Albina Pereira

New milestones to embark, new goals to achieve,Their hard work had paid off, and they had a degree to receive,A joyful and eventful ceremony, with a super enthusiastic crowd,With all the cheering and clapping, they were all on the highest cloud,The theatre was filled with family and friends,It was a victory for everyone, as if they weren’t building castles on sands.

Proud eyes of their parents rejoiced, when they saw their own,Their prayers had paid off, as the children outshone,The whole event was a delightful watch,Students had triumphed and were glowing like a lighted torch,Time just flew listening to motivating speeches and testimonies,The students were taking back great words of advice and wonderful memories.

An aura of positive energy surrounded the entire theatre,The warmth engulfed each and every spectator,The entire event was emotional and overwhelming,Care, love and happiness was overpowering,The orators and spectators had an amazing time,Everyone joined the celebration, as the students crossed their first mile.

Albina Pereira has a Bachelor’s degree in Chem-istry from Mumbai University. She is currently pursing an MBA degree with ITU and wants to major in Marketing.

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No one told you that you couldn’t!Continued from pg 1.

Dr. Richard Winn Keynote speakerExecutive Director for ACSCU/WASC

But when we saw some aspect of the university as unhappy, dated, or irrelevant, we set out to change it.

Sometimes our projects were painfully naïve. Like the time we decided that the Board didn’t get how unfit the college president was for the job. We gave the Board Chair a list of grievances. I still remember the shouted and stinging rebuke designed just for us, as we slunk out of his hotel room.

Other outcomes were productive. We determined that the campus swimming pool was dilapidated. So we formed cam-paign “Get in the Splash,” and raised enough money to build a new Olympic-sized pool.

Late one evening, after a major “let’s change society” cam-paign, several of us slowed down sufficiently to ask why we were so involved in these projects. We were candid about our ego needs, our drive to test our mettle, or gain some ad-ditional attention from any young ladies who had hero-wor-ship instincts. But one of my buddies, trying to be flippant, said “It’s because no one ever told us that we couldn’t.”

Years later, that phrase came back to me again: “No one said that I couldn’t.” It rang in my soul like a clear bell and I found myself referencing it often. Should I begin a doctoral program at a major university? Why not? No one said that I couldn’t.

At age 34, I began a project that would consume the next ten years of my life. I decided, along with a typical gang of visionaries, to start a college. Because no one told me that I couldn’t, I set out to buy property, design curriculum, hire faculty, get collections in the library, pay bills, recruit students with the promise of providing a distinctive form of education, even repair the historic buildings and upgrade the water system. It worked and continues to function to this day. This bold adventure left a permanent stamp on my soul…because no one told me that I couldn’t build it.

Eventually, I arrived at Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or WASC. One of my assignments was processing applicants for institutions seeking accreditation for the first time. It was a fascinating role, bringing me into close contact with fledgling institutions with no track record – just big dreams and lots of enthusiasm.

Thus one day in early 2007, I got a phone call from someone who wanted to meet me urgently at my office. Four people came to the WASC office to tell their story about creating a university. They described this tiny, nearly bankrupt institu-tion, with a few dozen students, operating in the storefront of a little industrial park in the shadow of Silicon Valley. They wanted to offer solid degrees in technology, they said. Based on the dreams of the young president sitting across the table from me, they wanted to seek WASC accreditation.

I looked this earnest young president in the face, still wrap-ping my tongue around the name, Yau-Gene. Did he have experience in higher education leadership? No. But he’d been an actor in Hollywood. Did he have a big bankroll? No, but he could mortgage his dad’s house. Did he have a track record of successful graduates? Well, not to his credit, but his dad had produced fabulous graduates who had gone on to great achievements founding and leading noted Silicon Valley companies. Likely story. Oh, and yes, many of these former students were so grateful for their education that they came back to ITU and volunteered as faculty. This was the last straw!

All of my instincts were crying out, “Don’t give this earnest young man false hopes. Don’t waste the time and money of these dreamers; don’t let them face disappointment and loss. Don’t ignore the experience of many other idealistic dream-ers who had died on the hill of WASC accreditation.”

Then, slowly, a faint voice from the past began to surface in my brain. I listened even more carefully to Yau and I caught

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the faint melodies of an earlier theme. It slowly began to dawn on me: No one had told Yau that he couldn’t do it! Quietly hoping that I would not eat my words, I described the steps forward and urged them to embark on the multi-year project of bringing ITU into full, informed, sustained compliance with WASC standards.

And the dream has just begun to unfold. Visions of expanded programs, global outreach, continued growth of an amazing faculty, increased recognition in both Silicon Valley and be-yond. And I stand back, watching, so glad I held my tongue in 2007; so glad that I didn’t tell Yau that he couldn’t do it!

But this event today is not about me, and my stories of crazy youthful adventures. To be clear, it’s not even about your vi-sionary leader, Yau-Gene, or about your amazing faculty and staff. This event is about you: the ITU class of May 2013.

The fact that I have been around so many decades gives me no advantage in understanding the world with which you now engage. More clearly than I ever could, you know the enormous opportunities spread before you, the exploding range of delightful challenges, the technology pathways completely unknown to your peers from even a few years ago.

You know the blinding pace of change – in your disciplines, in the language and terminology you use to probe your dis-cipline, and in the social and economic context within which you will fulfill your dreams. Your world is best described by the New Yorker cartoon, in which a businessman returns to his office from a lunch break. His assistant meets him at his desk with a sheet of paper and says, “Here, sir, is a list of the paradigms that have shifted while you were out.”

You bring to this moment a sense of fine personal achieve-ment, one that arises from years of discipline, sacrifice, and reaching for a goal you have not yet grasped. You have learned new things about your own capacities and your lim-its. You will have explored previously unknown ranges of emotion – from enormous pleasure to sheer frustration. You have begun some new relationships and stepped away from others. You are not the same people that you were when you began your studies at ITU; you will spend years discovering how deeply this is so! And so now, with an ITU diploma in your hands, you will face choices. Now, more than ever, you will face doorways begging for you to enter, pathways to new adventures not previously available to you. You will be invited to take risks. You will discern, on your own, amaz-ing inventions that must be created now; you will glimpse

technological galaxies where no man has gone before; some of your casual conversations will explode into potential part-nerships with other bright innovators that will confront you with the need to risk it all!

Your pulse will quicken. Your palms will become moist. You will lose sleep, be distracted from common things. Your boy-friend will think you are having an affair, or your girlfriend will wonder of you’ve lost your wallet. But, in fact, you will be counting down backwards (5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1) to the drop-ping of the green flag, the flash of the starter pistol, as you prepare to launch some great adventure.

And this will be the moment when you must recall one thing: “No one told you that you couldn’t!”

Dr. Richard Winn is the Executive Director for the Accrediting Com-mission for Senior Colleges and Uni-versities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACSCU/WASC). He joined WASC as a Vice President in 2003.

Dr. Winn, one of the world’s leading authorities on quality assessment and accreditation, has consulted and presented extensively in the US and globally. He served three terms as a Member, Board of Examiners, for the Malcolm Baldrige Na-tional Quality Award. Dr. Winn earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from The University of La Verne. He also serves as a member of The Commission on Osteo-pathic College Accreditation (COCA).

As Executive Director and Vice President of WASC, Dr. Winn is an advocate and guide to emerging institutions of higher learning. He was ITU’s WASC Commission advisor mentor during its six-year accreditation process. Dr. Winn’s gentle and wise guidance helped ITU strengthen its infrastructure, assessment and academic policies on its WASC accreditation journey.

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Graduates: Continue the ITU DreamBy Yau-Gene Chan, ITU President and CEO

I am always looking forward to the successes that you gradu-ates will find in your lives and

how you represent the University -- it is exciting. First, I want to acknowledge your hard work and your dedication. Secondly, I acknowledge the memorial, to remember the life of my fa-ther Dr. Shu-Park Chan who founded the University. Thirdly, I celebrate the fact that ITU has come into its own with WASC accreditation. We are very lucky today because this is a deep celebration of all three of those events. Lastly, I congratulate you all for graduating.

You are marked forever to be ITU graduates--ITU alumni. What does it really mean to be a permanent part of the ITU family? Today is significant; I am speaking for my dad and my grandfather. ITU was created with a dream, a sheer dream from all of us to make a better world. I believe that now you as an ITU graduate carry the spirit, the heart of the dream to make and contribute to the world. You will leave the world a better place --better than the way you found it. So now as you have a platform with your graduate degree -- dream big. Dreaming means you close your eyes and you have no limits. You can do anything to create the best world, the best possible results from your heart, from your soul. Make that dream a reality -- let it come into focus. And remember stay positive because you never lose until you quit.

Remembering Professor Shu-Park Chan By Mikel Duffy, Associate Director of Innovation

This is the first gradu-ation that we’ve had since receiving WASC

accreditation. It’s also unfortunately the first since our founder Dr. Shu-Park Chan has passed. His vision, his spirit, his hearty applause is here with you graduates -- congratulations. What comes to mind for me about Dr. Chan’s life was his dedication to being a loving husband and father. His passion was as an

engineer, an educator, a community builder and as a husband. But he was an amazing father.

He raised two children: Yau-Gene and his sister Charlene. His legacy is reflected with Yau and then with ITU. The same love and care he provided his children and wife he likewise extend-ed to his colleagues and graduates.

When I first joined in 2005 Dr. Chan was very active at ITU. In the very first seminar class each semester he would be the guest speaker and would get to know every student. That was his personality; he was in touch and was very caring. One of the mottos he would present to all the students was “Respect your profession and be a good team player.” Those two mes-sages are the ones we should use as guiding philosophies to help us through any hardship in life.

Student Graduation Speaker

By Qiwen Xia

Please call me “Michael.” I send a special thank you to all our parents, husbands, and wives, children, and friends for your wonderful job helping us get this far! Personally, I’d like to thank my parents. You both have

always been such an inspiration to me, and have always been there in times of need.

Let’s appreciate our president, Mr. Yau-Gene Chan! And thank you to all of faculty and staff. Many thanks for Sara Javid, she gave me a warm introduction, when I first visited ITU campus. Also Dr. May and Dr. Amal gave me very kindly talk. Many thanks for Dr. Liz, she’s patient and helped me to analyze my case. Special thanks for Sarah-Lynn, Alex, and Joel with Student Success Center! I appreciate being the student govern-ment president, and to work with you. Thanks for Dr. O’Brien and Hubert, you always encourage me!

Today, we receive flowers, applause, and champagne… but it’s not the end; it’s a new start to a new beginning.

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Graduates pour out their thoughts and share their experience with us: Here is what our graduates have to say about ITU.

Graduates Voice Their Thoughts

Vasu Goud, who works with Genesis Software Solutions, says he is very excited to receive his first Master’s degree from ITU after accreditation, and has loved the journey so far.

Manickya Dampala, who is currently working as a Front End Developer, loved the way the Professors taught. She is very proud and happy to tell her friends and family about graduating from an accredited university.

Radhika Rayeekanti, who is a Student Representative at ITU, said she was very happy with the faculty and the entire ITU team--they were very friendly and supportive.

Heena Selia, an MBA student, is feeling great and proud about graduating, especially after ITU has been accredited.

Raghav Jakkani, a Software Engineer, says he loved his experience with ITU and the friendly environment. The ac-creditation gives an added advantage to his degree.

Other Voices

Another student says he is thrilled to graduate in the first group from accredited ITU; this school has a lot of internships and its academics are great.

A Software Engineer graduate at ITU is thankful to his profes-sors, as they took a keen interest in enhancing his skills to help him better his job. He got a job right after graduating and says his entire experience was incredible.

One student says that ITU is a wonderful University and liked when it located in downtown San Jose. He feels lucky to be a part of ITU.

Lastly, one student says he had a great experience pursuing his Master’s from ITU, the professors are very knowledgeable and are concerned about each and every student.

Data Quality: An ongoing challenge Dr. Ramesh Konda presented at an American Society for Quality (ASQ), Silicon Valley section dinner meeting on May 15, 2013.Continued from pg 1.

The main determinants of Data Qual-ity (DQ) are accuracy, completeness, timeliness, integrity, consistency, con-formity, and record duplication.

Dr. Ramesh Konda, and Dr. Rao Ne-mani, proposed a Four-Prong Data Quality Management Model for defin-ing and ensuring data quality:

• Basics –Any IT system must first en-

sure data consistency and completeness. • Truth – As a quality check and strategy, consider use cases / his-torical sample data to evaluate correctness. • Coherent –Data is merged from disparate sources; using dimen-sion keys, the system should build coherent data--critical for analysis and for building aggregates. • Audit and Continuous improvement – As an independent pro-gram, incorporate an automated data audit.

Data systems should provide a “single version of the truth” with high data reliability and quality.

Nemani, R., and Konda, R. (2009). A Framework for Data Quality in Data Ware-housing. Proceedings of United Information Systems Conference, pp. 292-297.

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ITU welcomes new Human Resources Director In January 2013 Ron Mortenson joined ITU. He brings over 20 years experience as a Human Re-sources (HR) Pro-

fessional. He is highly knowledgeable in all areas of Human Resources in the public and private sector.

Prior to ITU, Ron worked 9 years in the County of Monterey as a Senior Personnel Analyst, County Welfare Office. There were 850 full time employees and about 100 temporary workers.

His previous 10 years were spent at several Silicon Valley startups including Burnt-sand, a custom software development firm where Ron was the Director of Human Resources; Cypress Human Resources, a technical recruiting firm co-founded by Ron; and Application Resources, a techni-

cal Recruiting firm headquartered in San Francisco. Ron also has an extensive back-ground in sales, his first career, selling high tech products and services to many Silicon Valley companies.

When Ron is not being the HR guy, he is an accomplished guitar player, with over 40 years playing and performing experi-ence. Ron plays guitar regularly at church and other corporate functions. In Feburary 2013, Ron demonstrated his musical ability in the ITU Talent show, to great applause.

Ron enjoys taking daily walks, riding his bike, and swimming in his backyard pool.

“I really feel at home at ITU. I think I start-ed here at the right time and look forward to assisting the entire staff as we all grow together.”

It’s Exciting to Rejoin HR!By Lei Liang, HR Assistant

My experience at ITU began in 2008. I landed a job processing student applica-tions and gener-ating Certificates of Eligibility for

Non-immigrant Students (Form I-20). ITU was small, with less than 20 employees. There was no HR, Accounting, nor Opera-tions Departments.

In a short period of time, ITU made re-markable progress and acquired WASC Accreditation. ITU is different because it embraces change and continuously seeks feedback from its employees to improve. Its philosophy, purpose and commitment

create a unique culture to foster the univer-sity’s success. ITU is growing and acquir-ing more talented individuals to be a part of its extraordinary team.

In HR, I have the opportunity to support and work with every individual within the organization. I am passionate about help-ing people - and marrying the intricacies of business strategy with employees. This year, the HR Department has grown and become more involved in strategic plan-ning. It is the perfect time to be back at ITU.

The success of ITU is not due to a single individual, but to hard work and dedication from all employees. ITU has truly blos-somed into one of Silicon Valley’s success stories.

Chinese Consulate VisitorsBy Matthew Jin

The Chief Education Consul and Deputy Education Consul from the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco visited the ITU campus on May 3rd, 2013, and met with Dr. Liz Li, ITU Chief Academic Officer and Dr. May Huang, Chair of Electrical Engineering Department. The visitors toured ITU’s Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (AI-RL), its Bioelec-tronics Research Lab (BE-RL), and attended its 2013 Commencement Ceremony.

The AI-RL team presented the evolu-tion of ITU mobile robots: ground-based robots designed to reconstruct a 2D/3D environment while autono-mously navigating through unknown indoor environments. The team also demonstrated new technology, which allows users to control a digital in-formation board with gestures, rather than remotes.

The BE-RL team also did a demo of a project designed for medical industry demands. This project uses MEMS sensor designs, control-circuit and low power circuit designs for a non skin-prick, (in-vivo) method to monitor glucose concentrations. One research characteristic has been to monitor patient status using popular Bluetooth devices with an iPhone.

L to R: Matthew Jin, 徐永吉 (Xu, Yongji) counselor, Liz Li Ph.D, May Huang Ph.D, 黄玉如 (Annie Y. Y.Wong) Hong Kong Tak Ming Alumni General Di-rector, 关海强 (Guan,Haiqiang) consul

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Did You Know?MBA in Digital Media Management, Fall 2013ITU will begin offering classes through a joint program from both the Business and Digital Art departments. The MBA in Digital Media Manage-ment program targets students with career inter-ests in Digital Art and Business. This distinctive degree combines business theories with travel study for building a business in the international art world. MBA in Digital Media Management graduates will be trained for different arts careers, shaping the next generation of art managers.

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)The DBA program has a new structure, beginning Fall 2013. It will emphasize three concentra-tions: Global Business, Entrepreneurship, and a Customized DBA. Students in Global Business or Entrepreneurship will complete 12 units from selected concentration courses. Students who complete 12 units from both will graduate with a customized DBA.

Online CoursesHigher-education institutions are developing high-quality online programs and curriculum. ITU will provide online classes for the first time in Fall 2013. These courses give students flexibil-ity, accessibility, and cost efficiency.

Business StatisticsITU will offer a new course in statistics taught by Dr. John Flaig. He will use Ken Black’s 6th edition textbook Business Statistics For Contem-porary Decision Making which features: a) video tutorial assistance on key topics, b) a tree tax-onomy diagram illustrating connections to help pick the correct technique to solve problems, and c) new content organization.

ITU’s Electrical engineering Research ProgramBy Matthew Jin

The ITU research labs combine the advantages of computer algorithms with integrated circuit designs to develop solid, optimized systems. The program is associated with the ITU Electrical Engineering Department, in conjunc-tion with the Peking University School of Software and Microelectronics.

This stimulating environment allows ITU graduate students, faculty mem-bers and international collaborators to pursue a wide spectrum of research studies. The team has many unique hands-on projects for intelligent systems, with lab students contributing research papers to national or international conferences and academic journals.

ITU’s AI Research Featured at ConferenceBy Matthew Jin

Hu Xu, Lei Shu and Dr. May Huang have authored a paper, “Planning Paths with Fewer Turns on Grid Maps,” presented at the July 2013 Sixth Annual Symposium on Combinatorial Search (SoCS 2013), in Washington. The con-ference, in cooperation with the Association for Advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), focused on Heuristic search and combinatorial opti-mization and the “currently very active areas of research in Artificial Intelli-gence, Robotics, Planning and other areas of Computer Science.” The paper emphasized original AI research on a heuristic search algorithm, called Link*, that returns any-angle paths containing minor turns. The team applied the algorithm to a robot for path planning with reduced control complexity.

L-R: Xuan Wang, Jingpeng Zhang, Chen Yang, Dr. May Huang, Fan Zhao, Yenchun Yeh, Xu Guo, Sheng Yang

Hu Xu Lei Shu

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Becoming A Certified Quality Process Analyst (CQPA)By Charles Chen, Ph.D. Dr. Charles Chen has more than 15 years of industrial experience in research development, new product introduction, and product quality control. He received his B.S. from National Taiwan Uni-versity, and his Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley. Dr. Chen is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and holds 12 American Society for Quality certificates.

ITU provided its students a competitive edge by integrating ASQ’s CQPA certification preparation with the regular MBA Quality Control Management course. Dr. Charles Chen, who has earned 12 ASQ certificates, teaches that course.

Candidates for the CQPA credential typically work as quality en-gineers or more senior professionals in quality improvement. The certification preparation is also ideal for fresh college graduates or graduate students who want to develop their quality professional careers.

The ITU CQPA preparation course covered: • Quality basics • Problem solving and improvement • Data analysis • Customer-supplier relationships

After completing Dr. Chen’s course, ITU accounting staff Leo Fung passed the formal CQPA exam. Congratulations, Leo!

Results can be viewed at this link: http://prdweb.asq.org/certifi-cation/control/pass-lists/index

Enhancing Business Administration with EngineeringBy John Flaig, Ph.D.

Does exposing students in business administration to engineering tools and concepts make any sense? On the surface, it might seem a waste of time and energy. But upon care-ful consideration, the profound benefits of understanding the quan-titative analytic tools of the engi-neering profession gives business

professionals huge advantages in the high technology workplace.

Engineers are often told that to communicate effectively in the world of business, they need to speak the language of business (i.e., finance and economics). However, the opposite is also true. In order for business management to communicate effectively with the engineering world, they must understand the basic tools

and thought processes of science and engineering.

You can see this communication breakdown in the disparaging words used by the different groups. The engineers refer to busi-ness management as “bean counters,” implying they have no feel-ing for the product. On the other hand, business managers refer to engineers as “gear heads or geeks,” implying that they are out of touch with reality.

Actually, neither comment is true or helpful. This failure of understanding is a major contributor to organizational failure. I think the best way to overcome the problem is cross-training. That’s where ITU excels! Dr. Flaig is a Fellow of the American Society for quality (ASQ). He joined ITU’s Industry Advisory Board in 2012.

“I received a B.S. in Finance from SJSU in 2009. I joined ITU on March 1st, 2012 as a Staff Accountant, and I am very proud to have passed my first professional certifica-tion. I am very glad ITU offers certificate courses in its curriculum, and I hope to complete my MBA at ITU, and eventually

continue on to earn a CPA certification.”Leo Fung

Leo Fung (second from right) pictured with Dr. Chen (fifth from left) and his classmates.

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New Healthcare technology presentation Professor Barbara Arnoldussen presented at the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP) Annual Infection Prevention & Safety Sym-posium in San Diego on June 15, 2013. She described the currently available technological solutions to increase hand hygiene compliance, and included information on the equipment (the set-up, the training and the process). She addressed these questions: What are the financial implications, both of pur-chase and of further cost savings? Does it make a significant difference in

compliance? Does it make a difference in patient outcomes? Are data being collected and analyzed about staff and patient satisfaction? The presentation included answers that showed the unique con-tribution technology can make to meet important healthcare goals.

Success Centers for Business StudentsBy Charitha Valluri

The ITU Student Success and Career Center (SSCC) serves as a bridge between educa-tion and employment, pro-viding students with the tools necessary to succeed in their careers. In the Spring 2013 semester the Business De-partment joined with SSCC to create the Student Success for Academic Achievement program (SSAA) as a help-ing hand for Business De-partment students.

The program was developed to ensure student success throughout graduate school. The SSAA collaborates with staff and faculty to as-sist students by identifying academic opportunities for growth. Students meet with advisors to overcome chal-lenges and stay on track for the semester. They can re-ceive assistance in the form of encouragement, writing or language skill development, or support for planning and decision-making.

Any questions? Contact Alex Pena at the Student Success and Career Center, or the SSAA team at [email protected].

THE FOX, MONKEY, AND OTHER ANIMALSBy Amal Mougharbel, Ph.D.

ITU considers its graduates to be the future leaders. Leadership is covered in the French fabulist Jean De La Fontaine’s fables. Even in very early versions, each tale had a moral: how to act correct-ly or how to live your life. In fact, many fables begin with a guiding frame-story topic, suggesting key aspects of leadership. The moral of Jean De La Fontaine’s fable, The Fox, The Monkey, And Other Animals (1668) is: The right leader is proven by his/her qualities.

The Fox, Monkey, And Other Animals The beasts assembled when they found The Lion dead, prince of the plains around. To choose a king to rule them in his stead, The crown was taken from its case, Which by the guardian dragon had been hid. It did not fit the suitors for the place; It was too large for every big-shaped head. A few had horns, and some had heads too small. The monkey grinning tried to please them all, Put on the crown with pleasant face, ’Midst many an antic and grimace. And then, with many an apish stoop, Passed through the crown as through a hoop. The beasts, quite pleased with the whole thing, Did homage to him as their king. Alone the fox deplored his vote that day, Yet nathless he his thoughts did not betray. He

paid his little compliment and said: “Sire, I know where some hidden treasure’s laid— A treasure, Sire, to all but me unknown, Which, Prince, by royal right is now your own.” The King, who gaped for gold, the tale, believed, Ran to the spot lest he should be deceived, But found a snare, and thus was caught. “What! said the fox, “who would have thought That you would claim o’er us to rule, You cannot guide yourself, vain fool?” He was dethroned; the beasts with one accord Agreed that few were fit to be their lord.

Thanks to http://www.la-fontaine-ch-thierry.net/sixcockeroldma.htm

Business department chair lectures in digital arts classBy Amal Mougharbel, Ph.D.

On June 1, 2013, I was a guest lecturer in the Global Storytelling class. This invitation is an example of collaboration between the Business and Digital Art Departments.

My lecture was on the origin of Fables and the lessons behind each tale. Fables originated in the 3rd Century BCE and were written by many authors, transla-

tors, and scholars. Their intent is to create “frank political expression;” each story finishes with a moral. Fables mirror existing intellectual concerns, and belief in ethics. They may present life ironi-cally or observe different social natures, aspirations, vices, and virtues.

Alex Pena

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Please remember to recycle!

Editor-in-Chief:Amal Mougharbel Ph.D.

Manager:Hubert Chang

Editorial Board:Barbara ArnoldussenPatricia Wiggin

Coordinator:Charitha Valluri

Contributors: Charles Chen, Ph.D.John Flaig, Ph.D. Ramesh Konda, Ph.D. Richard Winn, Ph.D. Sarah-Lynn BrunnerYau-Gene ChanMikel DuffyLeo FungMatthew JinLei LiangRon Mortensen Carmelita OmranAlbina PereiraQiwen XiaGraduate Students

Designer: Kathia Rubi

Team

355 W. San Fernando Street San Jose, CA 95113 www.itu.edu

“Global Development through Silicon Valley Education”

International Technological University

ISSN: 2161-8054

December 2012 Degrees Qualify Under WASC Accreditation May 17, 2013

Dear December 2012 Graduating Class,

I am pleased to announce that the Executive Committee of the WASC Ac-crediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (ACSCU) has unanimously voted to move up the effective date of ITU’s WASC accredi-tation to December 1, 2012. This is a rare and exceptional move by the Commission, done at ITU’s request.

As a result, the degrees earned in December of 2012 will be recognized as within our period of accreditation. We are pleased to inform you that the Master’s degree you received from ITU in December 2012 is a WASC-accredited graduate degree! This change will appear shortly on the WASC Website and will be indicated on all transcripts provided for you.

It was not within ITU’s or WASC’s power to extend this accreditation back any farther. But ITU made the case on your behalf that our students completed all of their requirements for the degree after the comple-tion of the WASC site-visit report. Based on this request, the WASC Commission did all they could to see that your hard work would be recognized with a WASC-accredited degree.

Be proud of your accomplishments and degree. Please stay connected to ITU. If we can be of assistance as you advance in your career, let us know. Congratulations to the December 2012 graduating class!

Sincerely, Yau-Gene Chan, President and CEO

The views expressed in articles are those of the writers only and not of ITU. ITU Journal is not responsible for accuracy of information cited in the news and events. The Edito-rial Board reserves the right to edit submissions, with contributions capped at 300 words. Plagiarized submissions will be discarded.

WhAt’S on your minD?PlEASE SEnD your thouGhtS to

[email protected].

to FinD out morE About itu, ViSit www.itu.edu.

ITU’s Got Talent By Carmelita Omran

Last semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to watch and participate at the ITU Talent Show, which is more like a “cul-tural show.” The show

highlighted different performers: cultural dancers, a variety of singers from operatic to rap, a poet, and people playing instruments. The show’s orga-nizing team put a lot of thought in every detail of the event. The lineup was entertaining, energetic, and surprising.

I decided to participate not to win the prize, but be-cause I wanted to enjoy the fun fare. Most of all, I

wanted to be seen as “humanized” by the students. I want my students to perceive me not only as an accounting professor but also as an ordinary per-son who enjoys music, dance, and informal social gatherings--just as they do. This is probably the only time my students will see me in a different character. I chose to sing a couple of songs and in-vited my Cost Accounting students. They did not hesitate to participate – but eagerly teamed up and practiced for about 20 minutes, and then gladly took the stage with me.

The show was a success and I believe this type of informal school gathering develops and augments bonding for cohorts and staff. These memorable events promote and enhance progressive and col-laborative learning for the students, and create a comfortable university environment.

ITU Journal, Volume III, Issue III, Summer 2013

Documents

Transcript of ITU Journal, Volume III, Issue III, Summer 2013