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Fordham U Does Deep Dive into Business Analytics

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/24/11

Fordham University has launched a new research center to explore the digital transformation of business and society and proposed two new master's degree programs focused on working with data analytics. The New York-based university launched the new Center for Digital Transformation to bring together academic and industry experts to conduct research and develop curricula about business analytics. The new degree programs, the master of science in business analytics and master of science in marketing intelligence, are pending approval by the New York State Education Department.

One source of industry expertise the new center expects to tap is IBM, which earlier this year granted $10,000 to Fordham's Professor R.P. Raghupathi to develop student projects using analytics. IBM has made several academic investments recently promoting institutional analytics programs to help prepare a workforce trained on the skills needed for its Smarter Planet initiatives.

Data analytics is gaining much greater attention from business and government. That interest is driven by access to huge amounts of data and improvement of tools to work with that data, which is helping those organizations evaluate their performance, make their operations more efficient and effective, and anticipate change by uncovering previously unrecognized patterns or connections. Smarter Planet encompasses multiple fields, all intended to use data for improving how systems within those organizations run.

"With the Center for Digital Transformation, we hope to foster innovation and provide our students with the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge to the advancement of society," said Donna Rapaccioli, dean of the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham.

"Our goal is to promote an open dialogue and transfer of knowledge about the role of analytics in solving key business issues," added David Gautschi, dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration.