A new college-business relationship is drawing upon Fisher College’s strengths to meet technology-driven workforce needs.

“As e-commerce applications increasingly transform business fundamentals, technology touches every aspect of a company’s operations,” said Rick Roscitt, president of
AT&T Business Services. “In this converged environment, business people need to understand technology and technologists need to be business savvy.”

One of five partners in the AT&T Alliance launched this spring, the Fisher College is working to help meet the nation’s critical shortage of workers with networking and information technologies (IT) skills. The Fisher faculty has already developed new courses in e-commerce, entrepreneurship, venture capital and lean manufacturing, and is engaging in research focused on the unique management challenges of the virtual business environment.

The new relationship is “a natural fit with what the college is doing for the Technology One Alliance,” said Glenn Swift, vice president and general manager of AT&T Solutions. The Technology One Alliance was formed in 1998 by Bank One, AT&T and IBM to provide the bank with “best in breed” networking and computing services, while offering employees rich on-the-job experiences and academic opportunities.

In addition to creating curricula and leading edge research in a previously undeveloped field, an AT&T Foundation commitment made to the college as part of the Alliance will support development of new continuing education opportunities at the corporate level.

An integral part of the Education Alliance is the AT&T Leaders in Networking Series, live interactive webcasts which provide a forum for today’s leaders in networking technology and business to talk one-on-one with students. Fisher students and faculty participated in the first webcast with Roscitt in May from a classroom in Pfahl Hall.

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