Department of Business and Information Technology - Master Plan

Department Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide computer information systems and business administration transfer preparation; vocational business and computer technology education; employment retraining and computer literacy skills. We support lifelong learning and participation in a technological world. We respond to the business training and information technology needs of the community and empower students with the skills they need to be successful in the modern business environment.

Department/Program Description

It is the purpose of the Department of Business and Information Technology is to provide courses and instruction that will meet the academic, vocational, and general education needs of our students, college, and communities. We provide instruction leading to Associate degrees and certificates in multiple occupational areas, including Business, Business Administration, Business Management, Business Office Technology, Computer Information Systems, Computer Technology, Entrepreneurship, Paralegal, and Resort and Commercial Recreation Management.

Department of Labor statistics demonstrate that vocational skills ranging from entry level office workers, computer specialists and database administrators to computer programmers and business management staff are projected to increase over the next 10 years. Business, Office Technology and Computer Information Systems positions are among the fastest growing occupations nationwide.

As the demand for professional and technical skills continues to increase locally, regionally, and nationwide, our department provides up-to-date information, training and course offerings that satisfy the changing demographics, increasing population, specialized training and career development needs of the students we serve.
Relationship to the College Mission

The programs in the Department of Business and Information Technology provide life-long learning and support to students in their academic, technical, and vocational pursuits. The goal of our program is to foster in students a lifelong desire to learn, a passion to excel, and a commitment to contribute actively to their local community.

Students graduating from the Department’s programs will be prepared to transfer to a four-year institution to continue as students in Business, Business Administration, Business Management, Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems, or other comparable courses of studies.

Students earning Associate degrees, certificates, and awards will be qualified to enter the job market as entry level programmers, help desk providers, computer operators, desktop publishers, office and administrative support specialists, and computer support specialists.

Relationship to Strategic Goals

The Department of Business and Information Technology has increased full-time faculty to help improve retention, develop new programs, and work with the business and technical community to identify future needs.

The department has increased the viability of its learning curriculum by developing and enforcing prerequisites for courses and reviewing course outlines of record.

The Business and CIS programs have been at the forefront of online development and were the first to offer complete degrees via distance learning. The department has ensured that all courses required for degrees are offered online at least once a year.

The programs in the department provide the community with a well-trained, skilled workforce.

The department has offered and continues to seek opportunities to provide contract and community education courses.

One and Five-Year Department Goals

The Department of Business and Information Technology will:

• complete program reviews for each of its various areas and will review curriculum on an ongoing basis to determine what modifications and additions need to be made;
• work with college administrators at all sites to evaluate course offerings and needs;
• organize and set prerequisites in compliance with State laws and comparable educational institution standards;
• emphasize academic rigor, curricular diversity, and innovation in teaching;
• encourage faculty members to pursue research, scholarship and post-graduate education to maintain relevance and currency in their area of expertise;
• seek out opportunities to collaborate with other departments in the development of new programs and curriculum in high demand areas such as Medical Transcription (Business Office Technology and Nursing), Geographical Information Systems – GIS (Computer Science and Science), and Web Programming (Computer Science and Media Arts);
• establish a sequence of course offerings in all programs that include online delivery to enable students to complete their degree requirements in a timely and efficient manner;
• strive to create a student-centered environment accessible to individuals of diverse ages, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds;
• develop partnership programs with private and public universities to give our students the recognition and the cutting edge advantage they need in transferability and access to quality university education;
• develop community partnerships and internships that enable students to gain valuable work experience and practical application of academic skills in real world settings;
• enrich students and their communities through civil service, social projects, and community involvement;
  develop and promote a student/faculty leadership program with specific guidelines incorporating community leadership, stewardship, academic excellence, and honor;
• maintain sensitivity and accommodation to contemporary trends in society and challenge students to commit themselves to a lifelong learning process;
• stimulate, encourage, and maintain creativity, scholarship, and critical thinking via course development by tailoring to specific academic and community needs;
• establish and implement program area advisory groups to determine the employment and executive requirements for business training, consulting, management skills, business office technology, computer science, and resort management needs within the local communities the department serves;
• create a marketing strategy to publicize the Department’s programs in a leading role with reference to serving students, faculty, staff, and the local community.

Staffing Needs

The Department of Business and Information Technology currently has no unfilled full-time positions. As department programs and offerings expand, staffing requirements will be assessed to determine the need for additional full time faculty. There is an anticipated growth in the Resort and Commercial Recreation Management in the Mammoth/Bishop and Lake Isabella service areas. This may require a full-time instructor to develop and coordinate this program.

Because of the specialized nature of many of the Department’s courses, qualified expert adjunct faculty will be recruited to maintain currency in curriculum and meet the demands of an ever-changing technological arena.

Equipment Needs

The Department of Business and Information Technology requires state-of-the-art hardware and software to maintain currency in curriculum offerings to enable students to be competitive in the workplace and in preparation for transfer to university level computer science degree programs.

Facility Needs

Although currently satisfactory, the Department of Business and Information Technology will require additional teaching and laboratory classrooms at all sites as programs and offerings expand. It is mandatory that program faculty be involved in all facility development, including hardware, software, and layout configurations.