BYU’s ISys Club Recognized at International Conference

PROVO, Utah – Dec 22, 2010 – Amid final exams, papers and projects, information systems students received some exciting news before parting for Christmas break. Brigham Young University's chapter of the Association for Systems Management was named an outstanding chapter at the International Conference on Information Systems, the most prestigious conference for leaders in the field.

"It's an honor for BYU's chapter to be recognized as one of the best in the world," says Anthony Vance, an information systems associate professor who accepted the award at the conference held in St. Louis Dec. 12–15. "There were only a few schools recognized in front of the entire academic field."

BYU was one of five universities in the world to receive the award out of 55 in the running. This is the first time student chapters have been recognized by the conference, now in its thirtieth year. The award recognizes deserving chapters that have excelled in areas such as professional development, membership, community service, fundraising and communications.

According to club co-president Blake Tsuhako, a second-year masters of information systems major from Midland, Texas, ASM excels in professional development and membership.

"About two months ago, I had the opportunity to represent our chapter at a leadership conference in Atlanta," Tsuhako says. "After talking with leaders from chapters around the country, I found a lot of people were really impressed with the activity of our membership. Upwards of 90 to 95 percent of ISys majors are members of our club."

Of the 32 clubs in the Marriott School, ASM is one of the most active. Membership largely consists of ISys majors but is also open to other technology-savvy students from other academic backgrounds.

To encourage professional development, the club garners sponsorship from big-name firms such as Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers as well as global brands like Walmart, Exxon Mobil and USAA. ASM activities allow members to mingle with recruiters from such organizations and learn new skills to keep them on the forefront of an ever-evolving industry.

"Our activities offer a variety, from preparing for interviews to blocking wireless hacking or creating a media center with Windows products," says vice president of activities Merrill Madsen, a senior from Ellensburg, Wash., studying information systems. "We focus on fun and professional development."

ASM received a plaque and $100 from the Association for Information Systems, which sponsored the ICIS conference. Come winter 2011, ASM will officially become an AIS student chapter and undergo a name change. For more information on club activities, recruiters or membership, visit asm.byu.edu.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.