Marist to Host National Enterprise Computing Conference

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y., June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first national
conference to focus on how to address the critical skills shortage in
enterprise computing will be held June 22-23 in the Student Center at Marist
College, opening with a reception on June 21 at the historic Cornell Boathouse
in the college's Longview Park.

Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Enterprise
Computing Community Conference will bring together representatives from
industry and academia to explore ways to develop a college curriculum to teach
large system technology skills to computer science, information technology,
and information systems students.

"Industry and government are struggling to attract new technologists to
replace aging workers who manage the enterprise computing systems that are
vital to continued economic growth and national security," said Dr. Roger
Norton, dean of the School of Computer Science and Mathematics at Marist.
"This will leave gaps in the workforce in a variety of areas critical to our
country: banking, commerce, healthcare, public safety, transportation, and
the military."

"Despite the number of jobs available now, and millions more opening up in
the years ahead, enrollment in college computing programs is down
significantly nationwide," said Mary Ann Hoffmann, assistant dean of the
School of Computer Science and Mathematics. "Without more U.S. graduates of
these programs, jobs would have to be outsourced internationally, creating
significant losses for the American economy."

The keynote speaker at the opening session on June 22 will be Nicholas
Donofrio, IBM Fellow and the corporation's retired executive vice president
for innovation and technology. In that position, Donofrio served as the
leader of the IBM Corporation's technology strategy and a champion for
innovation across IBM and around the world.

The 25 sessions scheduled for the two days will focus on topics such as open
source applications, bridging the gap to Generation Y, mainframe management,
data center operations, cloud computing, and skills demands of the new age
enterprise information technology.

The conference is free and open to the public. For further information or to
register, visit ecc.marist.edu/conf. Conference co-sponsors include CA,
Compuware, IBM, Interskill, Micro Focus, Verizon and the Greystone
Collaborative Program at Marist.

Large data centers are often used to remotely host applications from
multiple businesses while minimizing energy requirements. Enterprise computing
involves data processing and data mining on a vast scale and thousands of
simultaneous users.

Enterprise computing is the set of non-proprietary, open-standard computer
technologies (i.e. hardware, software, and practices) needed to integrate and
automate large-scale systems, including mainframes, servers, and peripheral
devices, interconnected by a network forming a virtual centralized computing
facility. Hardware is distinguished by its resiliency, with average failure
rates measured in decades. Software applications are usually distributed
geographically and organizationally to take advantage of the trillions of
dollars' worth of data resident on large systems and require standards for
security and integration of heterogeneous components. Established practices
include continuous availability, backup and disaster recovery, and strict data
retention protocols.

In 2008, Marist was awarded a two-year $400,000 grant from the National
Science Foundation Directorate of Computer and Information Science, and
Engineering Pathways to Revitalize Undergraduate Computing Education. Academic
partners on the grant include Illinois State University, North Carolina
Central University, University of Arkansas, Widener University, Monroe
College, San Jose State University, Stevens Institute of Technology and
Binghamton University.
CONTACT: TIM MASSIE (845) 575-3171
MARY ANN HOFFMANN (845) 575-3611

SOURCE Marist College

Tim Massie, +1-845-575-3171, or Mary Ann Hoffmann, +1-845-575-3611, both of
Marist College