When military veterans try to enter of reenter the U.S. work force, they face several obstacles that career services practitioners should understand and help them overcome.

One free resource …. is the Occupational Network’s online military crosswalk, which allows users to search military occupations to determine knowledge, skills, abilities, and more, and give a clearer picture of a civilian equivalent occupation.
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The School of Information Technology will host a commencement reception for our May & August graduates and their families prior to the commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12. The reception will be held in the Circus Room of the Bone Student Center from 10:30-11:30 am.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to attend. Join our students and their families in celebrating their achievement at this important milestone in their life.

School of Information Technology graduate students Kushal Panchal, Ji Zheng, Shreeti Banerjee and Laura Hanna are part of a team lead by John Kostelnick, assistant professor in the Department of Geography-Geology and director of GEOMAP at Illinois State, that is developing a web-based mapping system to help the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) coordinate efforts statewide in preparing and responding to emergencies.

Read more here.

IT Scholarships/Awards Available… Apply Today!
Both need & merit based scholarships as well as departmental awards are available for majors in the School of Information Technology. Graduate & Undergraduate Students can find applications on the T: drive in the Scholarships-Awards folder or through the links below.

Application Deadline:  March 9, 2012

Undergraduate_Award_Scholarship_Application_2012

Graduate_Award_Application_2012

Because of ISU’s designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education, the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship program is available to ISU students.

ISU students who are not currently employed by DoD may apply for scholarships through the IASP Recruitment Program. Under this program, DoD funds scholarships in eligible Information Assurance disciplines for rising juniors or seniors in college, as well as individuals who are accepted into, or currently enrolled in a master’s, PhD, or graduate certificate program.

Students selected for the IASP recruitment program are awarded funding for:

• tuition
• required books
• fees
• labs
• equipment
• stipend to cover room and board ($14,000 for undergraduates; $19,000 for graduates)
• Paid internships at select Department of Defense organizations

If you will be a junior, senior, or graduate student in the 2012-2013 academic year, pursuing an information assurance-related major or sequence and are interested in this opportunity please contact Dr. Doug Twitchell as soon as possible. The deadline for scholarship materials is February 10, 2012.

Doug Twitchell
Campus Box 5150
Normal, IL 61790

dtwitch@ilstu.edu
309-438-7756

For more information, please see the IASP website at:  http://cio-nii.defense.gov/sites/iasp2/pro_recruit.html

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must meet the following requirements:

• 18 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen at time of application.
• Pursuing a course of study and/or have a declared major with an IA concentration in one of the scientific, technical or managerial disciplines related to computer and network security.
• For undergraduate applicants, must have completed at least the first two years of an undergraduate degree program by August of the calendar year in which scholarship funding will commence and be eligible to begin either the third or fourth year of the degree. GPA must be at least a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or an analogous rank based on a comparable scale).
• For graduate applicants, must be eligible to begin the first or second year of a master’s degree program; pursue doctoral studies; or complete a graduate IA certificate program. GPA must be at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale (or an analogous rank based on a comparable scale).
• Able to obtain a security clearance.

Illinois State University will hold Winter Commencement in two ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 17, in Redbird Arena. School of Information Technology graduates will participate in the afternoon ceremony at 1 p.m. that will include graduates from the College of Applied Science and Technology, College of Business and College of Education.

Student Body Vice President Aaron Von Qualen will provide the student welcome, Illinois State University President Al Bowman will address the graduates, and President of the Alumni Association Janessa Williams will induct the newest alumni into the Alumni Association.

Illinois State University will award approximately 1,160 baccalaureate degrees, 219 master’s degrees and 32 doctorates at Winter Commencement. Of those degrees, 40 baccalaureate degrees and 12 master’s degrees will be awarded to School of Information Technology students.

The School of Information Technology, its faculty and staff congratulate all our students on reaching this important milestone in your life. We invite you to stay connected to ISU and the School of Information Technology as active alumni in the years to come.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that holders of advanced degrees face the lowest unemployment rate among college graduates, at just 3.3%. Read more here.

Source: NACE Spotlight 11/16/11

According to CareerBuilder’s 2011 midyear hiring forecast, 50 percent of employers reported concerns about the shortage of skills at their organizations…. The functional area where employers continuously see the largest skills gap is information technology.

For those who do have the right skills set, information technology can provide great career opportunities. Read complete article.

Source – Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2011