USU has world’s first electronic comerce group of its kind
Utah State University has a new student group on campus in the business information systems department in the College of Business.
Craig J. Peterson, the adviser for the new organization, said, “The official name of this new organization is the Utah State Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Electronic Commerce Student Chapter, or USU SIGECOM Student Chapter.”
Ezra Lantz, presiding president, said, “We are the very first special interest group in Electronic Commerce in the world.”
Peterson said, “The chapter was officially chartered by the Membership Activities Board of the ACM on Oct. 19, 2001.”
ACM stands for the Association for Computing and Machinery, Lantz said.
According to the ACM Students’ pamphlet, the ACM is a vast network of professionals and students who share a common passion: Information technology. Information technology is at the center of every endeavor, project and activity ACM undertakes, whether it be a worldwide conference, a special interest group, the publication of a renowned journal or magazine, or the development of standards or curriculum. ACM’s goal is to help the world fully realize the potential of the amazing science of computing.
Currently there are only 16 ACM Student SIG chapters in the nation and only two outside of the United States. Most other chapters have different focus areas than electronic commerce. USU’s student chapter currently has about 40 members, Peterson said.
“Cutting to the chase, our goals are basically to provide a good structure for all of the students in the BIS department and anybody else who wants to be a part of the organization to see electronic commerce as a whole as well as with e-business to see how businesses are designed, and how they implement technology to making them more efficient and more productive, and more profitable,” Lantz said. “So our goals are to have guest speakers and to have workshops that can supplement the education that the students are receiving here at Utah State in the BIS department.
“Anybody who wishes to come to learn at these workshops is welcome to come. We want the students to be productive on the first day of work wherever they take their jobs. I think if anything, our number one goal is to supplement our education so we can all be brought together and have meaning so it is just not sporadic and disjointed so we can actually bring it all together.”
Peterson said, “Membership to this chapter is open to students and professionals who have interest in electronic commerce. Individuals can join at the local level to be associated with this chapter and then they may elect to join the national organization as well. There are additional benefits associated with joining the national organization.”
Lantz said, “To become a member they just have to pay a small fee. There are varying levels of membership. To be an officer one has to be a part of the national’s ACM and also this chapter’s ACM, but those who are not officers that isn’t required. We are looking for good leadership candidates.
“What we are trying to do is we are trying to simplify the complexity of the industry and help the students and the members of the USU SIGECOM to feel that they can get a handle on the industry and not be intimidated, that they can be productive and specialize themselves in a specific element or characteristic of the industry. That is really important,” Lantz said.
Those interested in the new ACM club can look at the Website www.acm.org/membership/student, Peterson said.