Notre Dame students visit SAP Chicago
A group of University of Notre Dame students had the opportunity to visit our SAP office in Chicago during their spring trek to the city last Friday. The visit was orchestrated by Notre Dame graduates and SAP professionals Tara Erb and Kaitlyn Keleghan who were graciously assisted by SAP colleagues Brian Jacobs and Brittany McClarity. The visiting students were all sophomores in the Mendoza College of Business represented either IT Management or Analytics majors so therefore were very interested in learning more about SAP and its customer ecosystem. Since the students are in the process of discerning their individual course of studies and future career options, a key focus of the visit was to share career and information technology work perspectives.
Notre Dame’s Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations offers an undergraduate major in information technology management and an MBA concentration in Business Analytics. Beginning in the fall of 2017 the department will add an undergraduate major in Business Analytics, and an MSBA degree available in a dual-degree MSBA/MBA program. Information Technology faculty research interests include the business value of technology, diffusion of healthcare IT, mobile commerce, network neutrality, and the pricing of information goods. Analytics faculty research interests range from machine learning to network analysis and to quantitative methodologies. Operations faculty research includes lean manufacturing, outsourcing, product recalls, quality management, and management of supply chains and service operations.
Business Analytics
The McKinsey Global Institute has estimated that “the United States alone faces a shortage of … 1.5 million managers and analysts to analyze big data and make decisions based on their findings.” In response to this growing demand, the ITAO department will launch a new Business Analytics major in Fall 2017, thus making it available to the class of 2019 and beyond. As a BAN major, you will learn how to be a global leader in scientific, data-driven analysis and research concerning all aspects of business operations. You will learn about the synergy between data governance, data analytics and the optimization of operational systems and processes. Additionally, through coursework, you will become adept at making sound, ethical and well-grounded business decisions.
IT Management
Ranked #1 by USA Today in 2016, this major is designed to prepare students to become leaders in the use of information systems for the benefit of organizations and society. This program of study focuses on educating the students about the development and use of information systems as decision-making and problem-solving tools. The program also is intended to develop an understanding of the managerial issues encountered in the operation or introduction of information systems in organizations, particularly, how these tools can be used to gain a competitive edge and to re-engineer an organization.
Students were offered an agenda featuring topics related to SAP solutions and life at SAP.
The agenda included:
- Office Tour
- Introduction to SAP and overview of the SAP ecosystem
- SAP Career Panel Discussion
- Open Q&A Students
Panel questions included:
• Tell me about your personal career journey?
• Why did you choose this field of expertise?
• Classes or experiences you wish you had taken while in college?
• What are you looking for in a new/young talent IT professional?
• What are the key skills that make new employees successful at SAP?
• How prevalent is new or emerging technology in your company? With your customers?
• What are some of the key challenges for SAP customers today?
• How do you keep your personal skills sharp in the dynamic IT industry?
• Besides traditional classroom work, what other experiences do you like to see from recent grads?