Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

UNLV moving beyond ‘techies’

Recognizing Nevada's growing need for university graduates who can immediately apply technological expertise to jobs in business, gaming, security and other areas, UNLV is creating a new degree discipline to bridge the gap.

The new School of Informatics would provide students with more than just technical competence in computer science and information technology, said Hal Berghel, computer science professor and associate dean of the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering.

Businesses "don't want a techie who will come in and live like a mole," he said. "They want someone who will help move the business forward."

If the new degree program is approved by the regents, as expected, the school will open in the fall, offering bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees. Graduates will specialize in any one of many technologies and also the application of that technology to a specific fields in business, science or even fine arts.

"I think it is one of the greatest contributions UNLV can make" to businesses in the state, UNLV President Carol Harter said.

Informatics degrees in gaming will be the first offered because it is the state's main industry. Executives from Station Casinos, Harrah's and MGM Mirage met with UNLV to help develop the degrees.

Information technology is integral to the gaming and hospitality industries. Marshal Andrew, vice president and chief information officer for Station Casinos, said his company is in the market for employees who can step right in and also can help train current employees.

"This will help solve our needs down the road for hiring the right people to get the job done," Andrew said. "It has been a real challenge in Las Vegas to hire good technical people or to hire them and retain them from out of state."

The program also interests Metro Police, which needs expertise in cyber security and computer forensics, said Deputy Chief Dennis Cobb, head of the department's technical services division.

About 40 colleges nationwide currently offer degrees in informatics, although only a handful identify it by that name. The first School Informatics, which began at Indiana University in 2000, serves 1,600 students on three campuses with offerings in 20 disciplines, Dean Michael Dunn said.

The new discipline "appeals to a different kind of student, one that is more interested in the content of the information technology, what it is being applied to rather than how the technology works," Dunn said.

Both Dunn and Berghel said they believed informatics would draw more students into information technology, particularly women and minorities who have shied away from computer science for various reasons.

Straight computer science degrees will still be offered for those who want to directly develop software and hardware.

Christina Littlefield can be reached at 259-8813 or at clittle@ lasvegassun.com.

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