The Institute’s Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) degree program has been designated as a Professional Science Masters (PSM) degree under a nationwide initiative sponsored by the Sloan Foundation and run by the Council of Graduate Schools, a national organization dedicated to the advancement of graduate education and research. Although not part of the initial PSM movement, the MSA had adopted through its own design many of the same guiding Continue reading “MSA Gains National Affiliation”
Director to Speak at Triangle AMA
The Institute’s director, Dr. Michael Rappa, will speak at a gathering of the Triangle Chapter of the American Marketing Association on Wednesday, October 20. Dr. Rappa’s talk, titled “Confessions of a Data Analyst,” will discuss the challenges of deriving meaningful insights from complex data and will offer useful advice to marketing professionals based on three decades of experience. The luncheon talk is part of a daylong program on Marketing Analytics.
Guest Lecture – John Brocklebank
We are delighted to have Dr. John Brocklebank, Vice President, SAS Institute and a distinguished alumnus of NC State to speak today with students in the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) degree program. In his current executive position, Dr. Brocklebank oversees SAS Solutions OnDemand, Advanced Analytics Lab, SAS Drug Development, Education Value Added Assessment System (EVAAS) ASP educational testing (K-12), and is responsible for product R&D, marketing, sales, program management, IT, quality assurance, and documentation. Dr. Brocklebank joined SAS in 1981 after earning his Ph.D. in Statistics from NC State University. He is recipient of the 2009 SAS CEO Award of Excellence. Dr. Brocklebank is the author and many publications in statistics and several patents.
Gaddis Awarded Ott Scholarship
Congratulations to Marshall Gaddis, MSA Class of 2011, who has been awarded the Ellis R. Ott Scholarship for Applied Statistics and Quality Management from the Statistics Division of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Gaddis is a 2010 valedictorian and summa cum laude B.S. graduate of NC State University, where he majored in Statistics in the University Honors Program.
Kirk Honored for Service
Dr. Herbert J. Kirk, a distinguished alumnus, was honored for his contribution to the Institute at a gathering of students and staff. Dr. Kirk was presented with a letter of commendation from NC State University Chancellor, W. Randall Woodson, for his service as a founding member of the Executive Board of the Institute. Dr. Kirk was instrumental in providing intellectual guidance and support in the development of the Continue reading “Kirk Honored for Service”
Executive Delivers Guest Lecture
Mr. Arun Pinto, Senior Vice President and Quality & Productivity Executive at Bank of America spoke with MSA students today, marking the successful end of the summer boot camp. Bank of America is actively engaged in the recruitment of our graduates, hiring three from the MSA Class of 2010, including one candidate as part of the company’s Quantitative Management Associate Program. The MSA program has a total of five alumni employed at Bank of America.
Guest Lecture – Scott Farris
The Institute is delighted to host Scott Farris as our special guest speaker today. Scott is Research Manager at the State Farm Research and Development Center, located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He leads a team of two-dozen actuarial professionals and student interns who work on pricing and reserving models and research on new analytical methods. A veteran employee of nearly 30 years, Scott joined Continue reading “Guest Lecture – Scott Farris”
Visiting Delegation from Singapore
Today the Institute hosted a visit by Mr. Christopher Chen and Mr. Ng Kai Koon, with of Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority, and Professor Yeow Meng Chee, Head of the Division of Mathematical Sciences at the National Technical University (NTU), Singapore to discuss the creation of an Analytics degree program in at NTU.
Studies Begin for Class of 2011
The MSA Class of 2011 began its 10-month journey this week. The cohort of 40 students was selected from a pool of 160 applicants. It is the most academically qualified MSA class to be admitted. The average undergraduate GPA is 3.50 (up from 3.28), and the number who graduated with academic honors increased by two-thirds over the 2010 class. Seventy-eight percent of the incoming class members are residents of Continue reading “Studies Begin for Class of 2011”
Job Placement Sets New Records
Despite the difficult economy demand for talent in Analytics remains strong. For the third consecutive year over 90 percent of the Institute’s graduates in the Master of Science in Analytics (MSA) had offers of employment in the profession within 30 days of graduation. Interest among employers in hiring MSA students reached new heights during the recruiting season this spring. Compared to last year, the Institute arranged twice the number of job interviews (347) and logged a record number of employer visits (38) for the class of 39 students. Students had an average of 10 interviews and two offers. One-quarter of the job seekers had 4 or more job offers. Continue reading “Job Placement Sets New Records”