What does the Immigration and Naturalization Service mailing out visa approvals to dead terrorists have to do with information science curriculums across the country?

Christine Salter can explain. But first, her story. Before joining the faculty of the new College of Information Science and Technology, Salter graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in statistics and computer science. She was a practicing certified public accountant with the itch to teach, so she continued her education, earning a Ph.D. in information technology from George Mason University in 2001. Between those two degrees she worked as a senior vice president for information technology at publishing giant Ingersoll before becoming a self-employed management consultant. Her thorough understanding of business, accounting and information systems forms the underpinnings of a field known as enterprise architecture.

When she saw the ad for a professorship at RU, she sent in her vita immediately. “I basically told them in the cover letter that I thought I was a perfect match for the college,” she says, smiling.

Though a relatively recent concept, enterprise architecture has gained importance over the last several years, resulting in the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act, which stated that government agencies must have a fully realized enterprise architecture plan before government technology funding can be committed.

According to Salter, the INS was a popular case study for enterprise architects even before last fall’s events, and the new focus on the agency will underscore the need for enforcement of Clinger-Cohen.

“It’s not all about the technology,” she explains. “You need the business management infrastructure – the processes, the people, and the policies – in place and working efficiently before an architecture can be developed.”

Prior to September 11, the INS was resistant to recommendations concerning how to better manage itself and its technologies, disregarding the advice of consultant after consultant, failing to abide by the provisions of Clinger-Cohen at even the most basic levels. September 11 put the agency’s bloated bureaucracy and lack of technological preparedness in full public scrutiny. The delayed visas may be the agency’s swan song, as the Bush administration seeks to further secure the nation’s borders.

The resulting governmental emphasis on enterprise architecture not only means the creation of more jobs for those with an understanding of the matter, but also the creation of more enterprise architecture innovation.

“This has been in practice commercially for years,” she says. “Now, with the government implementing it more widely, we can expect some government practices to influence commercial enterprise architecture.”

She’s excited about the college’s recently approved curriculum because it addresses the critical components of enterprise architecture. While students will not be able to major in enterprise architecture, which would likely be a master’s level degree at the very least, they will receive a solid foundation to work toward such a degree – or to learn on the job.

— Jeff Crooke