Networking trip to Cincinnati connects ITS students, alumni, employers
Below: Ohio University students visit with alumni Ron Minto and Matt Brainard, of Cisco, via TelePresence, in Cincinnati.
ATHENS, Ohio (April 28, 2010)—A group of 25 students and faculty from the J. Warren McClure School of Information and Telecommunication Systems visited Kroger, Cicso and Cincinnati Bell and took in a Cincinnati Reds game on Friday, April 23. The trip, part of a series in which students have the chance to visit cities in Ohio, was organized by the student group Telecommunication Systems Management Association (TSMA) and members of the school’s advisory board.
“This series of trips introduces our students to alumni and to the kinds of jobs our students can expect,” said Associate Professor John Hoag. “The trip reinforces our great relations with our business partners. Our students get to experience the enthusiasm people have for our field and the excitement present in the venues we visit.”
Junior and TSMA president Matt Bange says the trips help student to see the role the program prepares them to play in the industry: as a bridge between the technology people and the salespeople.
“Our program prepares us to bridge that gap,” Bange said. “We know the technology side, but we are also communicators and can articulate in ways that allow us to become leaders.”
Ron Minto, of Cisco, and John Osborne, of Kroger—both current advisory board members and alumni of the program—and alumnus Dave Heinbach (Cincinnati Bell) served as industry partner hosts.
“The credit for the trip goes to the advisory board,” Hoag said. “The students do the legwork, but the advisory board makes the arrangements.”
Students in the program had the opportunity to visit Columbus in the winter, and a bus trip to Cleveland is being planned for fall.
