MaSSSoftech

Francis Marion University’s Information Technology Team was recently awarded the 2009 Innovation in Technology Award by the South Carolina Information Technology Directors Association (SCITDA).

Howard Brown, director of user services; Matthew Cantrell, director of network operations and services; Teresa McDuffie, network specialist; Robin Moore, director of campus applications and data services; and Kevin Torgersen, network administrator were presented the award during SCITDA’s Annual Conference in Columbia.

The Team award is designed to recognize excellence in collaborative and innovative technology-based projects. From e-mail to server enhancements to partnering with Google to provide students with FMU-branded Google Applications, the IT team has worked to establish a technology environment that challenges innovation, growth and service to its computing community while laying a foundation that can support emerging technologies and encourage pursuit of the same, said John Dixon, FMU’s chief information officer.

· Brown began his career at FMU in 1998, immediately after earning a bachelor’s degree from FMU.

· Cantrell joined the FMU staff in 2007. He earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Clemson University. He completed his undergraduate work in architectural design in 1999 and his graduate work in computer science in 2002.

· McDuffie joined the FMU staff in 1998. She is a 1988 graduate of South Carolina State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology.

· Moore began working at FMU in 1987 and is a 1981 graduate of Francis Marion University.

· Torgersen came to FMU in 2007. He earned an associate’s degree in computer science from Spartanburg Methodist College and a bachelor’s degree in information management and systems from the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2005.

Francis Marion University, founded in 1970, is one of South Carolina’s 13 state-supported universities. As one of the state’s six comprehensive institutions, FMU prides itself on providing a strong liberal arts education.

The university enrolls nearly 4,200 students and offers a broad range of undergraduate degrees and a select number of graduate programs serving the needs of communities, businesses and industries of the Pee Dee. Francis Marion is the only state university serving the Pee Dee, and many of its students are the first in their families to attend college.

SCITDA, originally formed in 1978 as the South Carolina Association of Data Processing Directors (SCADPD), serves as a forum for the exchange of information pertinent to the management of State IT facilities while also providing a consolidation of experience, knowledge and interest in improvement of IT administration and management. Since its inception, the Association has grown from a handful of people to an organization that includes most State agencies, colleges and universities.