About the Department of Business Information Systems

Businesses are growing their positions in information technology more quickly than they can fill needed roles. This shortage of qualified IT professionals means that you will have many opportunities for a fulfilling career and may be entertaining multiple job offers even before graduation! Whether your interest is in cybersecurity, systems design, software implementation, analytics or e-commerce, we have a program that will fit your talents and the future you are looking to create.

Your bright future, powered by our mission

Our faculty are renowned for their research, teaching and industry experience. Their significant contributions to the field through research ensure that you receive the latest and most-relevant information. And our faculty's industry experience allows you to learn practical insights from real-world examples, bridging theory and application so that you have confidence in your knowledge base.

The commitment of the faculty, paired with resources like the college's Zhang Career Center, will make sure your job outlook is bright.

Knowledge from textbooks provides a critical learning foundation. Yet, what is equally important is hands-on experiences through which students are exposed to developing know-how, testing their hypotheses, experiencing success or failure, and more. I value and integrate both theory and application in my classes to maximize my students’ learning outcomes and skills.
—Dr. Carrie Song, associate professor of business information systems
Business student standing outside on campus

Enter the working world with a remarkable resume

In the Department of Business Information Systems, you will begin to build your resume on day one through your courses, which will have relevant, real-world projects that give you hands-on experiences that employers value. Those experiences increase your bandwidth as a problem solver and will be pivotal in your search for externships, internships and full-time job opportunities.

In-demand IT positions command a median salary of $65,000 to $75,000Take a look at some of the firms you'll have an opportunity to work with:

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Deloitte logo
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Microsoft logo
Whirlpool logo
WK Kellogg Co logo in red.

Join outstanding alumni who've made their mark

Our alumni rise to the top of their fields, and the Department of Business Information Systems Outstanding Alumni Award recognizes the career accomplishments of our alumni. The award is the highest alumni honor the department bestows.

2024 honoree

Drew Flint has been designing, building and maintaining infrastructure for 30 years. He has been integral to developing proprietary infrastructure solutions that are still in use today, including automated database service installation and configuration and a first-of-its-kind horizontal scalability solution known as N-Scale. Flint’s passion for technology continues to this day, and he embraces the challenge of making a system scale while also keeping the elegance and value of a working system top of mind.

Our history, your legacy

Less than 6% of business schools worldwide have obtained AACSB accreditation—and WMU Haworth is one of them, making it an excellent choice for students seeking quality education that is a good investment of their tuition dollars. WMU Haworth has maintained its AACSB accreditation since 1970 for undergraduate programs and 1981 for its graduate programs.

Part of AACSB’s standard is an active connection to industry, which the department achieves in many ways. Here are just some of the unique opportunities available:

  • Company visits immerse you in the culture of a variety of firms and corporations, giving you exclusive access to some of the best minds in tech, many of them WMU alumni. Students make connections resulting in opportunities for mentorship, internships and full-time positions.
  • Business Analytics and Information Technology (BAIT) and the Bronco Cybersecurity Club are student organization that develop social and professional programming for students in IT, bringing in notable speakers from leading companies and providing a foundation of support for all students in the department.
  • Guest speakers and workshops are offered by the department to introduce students to the top trends in technology while providing networking opportunities.

Mission

The members of the council act in an advisory role, supporting Western Michigan University's Department of Business Information Systems to understand current and future IT trends in order to improve or develop a curriculum that meets and exceeds the requirements for the future. The council also assists in the planning and financial support of the department's activities and initiatives.

Membership

Members of the advisory council are invited and appointed by the department chair. Members are professionals who are leaders in their fields and committed to advancing the mission of the Department of Business Information Systems.

Current Members

Bob Armbrister, president, SPARK Business Works; chief information officer, CSM Group

Steven Burdick, vice president of sales and marketing, Secant Technologies

Brian Del Vecchio, senior manager of financial services, Ernst & Young

Sam Fox, systems administrator, Auto-Owners Insurance

Javier Franco, information technology director, Edwards Garment

Ash Goel, chief information officer, Bronson Healthcare Group

Kevin Jackson, senior director of data & analytics, 3Cloud

Erik Kamman, head of worldwide solution architecture, SAP, Amazon Web Services

Brian Loken, program manager, Accelerate Ecosystem, Stryker

Matthew Mace, vice president of data & analytics solution sales, 3Cloud

Joy McClendon, senior director (retired), Pfizer

Ganapa (Sashi) Murthy, director of innovation solutions, Cardinal Health

David Polidori, vice president of engineering, Quicken Loans

Jennifer Rutledge, chief operating officer, SalesPage | Chair

Susan Stults, owner and chief information officer, consultant, Select IT Consulting

Joel Sundman, cloud technologies manager, Whirlpool Corporation

Gale Tabron, information technology specialist, DLA CIV Information Operations

Mark Takacs, executive director, Ernst & Young

Rich Thompke, director, PGS Business Technology, Pfizer

Chuck Warner, president, Secant Technologies

Dick Wolthuis, director of product development operations, Level Data

WMU Haworth faculty member collaborating with students in front of a laptop.
For me, I've always loved business and wanted a broad field that would allow me flexibility. With the business analytics major, I feel I can honestly work in any industry I want to.
—Isaac Glass, BAIT student organization president and intern for BNY Mellon