NSU Fall 2012 Horizons Magazine

26 HORIZONS 27 HORIZONS faculty profile NSU’s Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences (GSCIS) professor Gertrude (Trudy) Abramson, Ed.D., blazed a trail for computer education when most people did not own a computer. She was a pioneer during the 1980s, creating the first community college computer studies program in the United States, teaching one of the first Internet courses for teachers, and building dozens of original college computer courses and study programs. Abramson, GSCIS’s Professor of the Year, is dedicated to her students and has formed strong bonds with the doctoral candidates she has mentored since she came to NSU in 1994. “She is brilliant, always accessible, passionate, respectful, kind, helpful, caring, compassionate, and the epitome of what every teacher should be. She is an inspiration to all of her students,” wrote her student, Sergio Parra, in his letter of support for Abramson’s Professor of the Year nomination. The bookcase in her office—jammed with blue, bound dissertations—is a testament to the students she has helped, including many who, at some point, wanted to give up, but were spurred on by Abramson. “The amazing thing is that if the students will work with me, I can help them reach heights they never thought possible,” she said. Currently, 99 completed doctoral dissertations are stacked on her shelves, an accomplishment in which Abramson takes great pride. “There will be a big announcement when the number hits 100,” she said. One doctoral graduate, Wayne Brown, Ph.D., was so grateful for her assistance that he created the Trudy Abramson Scholarship Fund to honor her. The scholarship is specifically for students in the Computing Technology in Education (CTE) doctoral program who have demonstrated outstanding academic performance and a promising career. “Dr. Abramson had an enormous impact on my doctoral work and dissertation, and therefore, my life,” Brown said. “I am convinced that if it weren’t for her, I would not have finished. She is a great teacher, mentor, and person, and I owe her a great deal. The endowment is the least I can do.” Taking on so many doctoral students means working long hours, not taking lunch breaks, and being accessible to students at all times. “As much as I give the job, it gives me. I am just so grateful to the university for allowing me to do what I do,” she said. The university is thankful to her, too, says Eric S. Ackerman, Ph.D., interim dean of the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences. “Dr. Abramson excels as a scholar and educator,” said Ackerman. “She exhibits many of the university’s core values, none more so than a student-centered approach and promot- ing scholarship and research. And she continues to deal with the rapidly changing technologies by publishing and present- ing in the field of educational technology.” Abramson has always loved to teach and learn. She grew up in a family of academics; married Theodore Abramson, a professor of educational psychology and ordained rabbi; and passed on her love for education to her three children and Guiding the Next Generation of Computer Scientists five grandchildren. She became a public school teacher in New York, but stayed home when her children were young. In 1974, when her brother, a professor of philosophy, died prematurely, she turned again to learning to help distract her from her grief. She went to the local community college to sign up for a class. They told her the only course available was Introduction to Computers. “I said, ‘I’ll take it. What is that?’ ” Abramson said. That turned out to be the beginning of her second and current career. When she finished the course, the commu- nity college offered her a job. She continued to learn and teach, and in 1985, earned her doctoral degree from Columbia University. Before joining NSU, she was an assistant professor at Baruch College in New York City and an associate professor at William Paterson College in New Jersey. Abramson has played a major role in building a successful and sought-after computing technology in education doctoral program at NSU and has kept pace with the changes and developments in computer education. She is the executive editor of the Journal of Applied Learning Technology and continues to make presentations and keynote speeches around the world. She shows no signs of slowing down, even after an especially challenging year in which her husband suddenly passed away just short of their 50th anniversary. It was not surprising to her friends and family when Abramson returned to work quickly after her husband’s death. “My job sustains me,” she said. “I have made so many close friends through this job.” And after all, this Professor of the Year will tell you humbly, “This is what I do.” n By Ellen Wolfson Valladares The rapidly changing field of information technology (IT) requires a fresh and unique curriculum, and Nova Southeastern University’s Grad- uate School of Computer and Infor- mation Sciences is again on the cutting edge of technology education and research. The computer school is now offering a graduate certificate and M.B.A. concentration in Busi- ness Intelligence/Analytics, a field the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies as a “Bright Outlook” occu- pation. Bright Outlook occupations are those fields expected to grow rap- idly, have many job openings, or emerge as new occupations. Analytics and Business Intelli- gence professionals are in high demand. The field was listed as a top 10 technology priority for chief information officers (CIOs), accord- ing to a 2012 Gartner Group survey. Additionally, data mining, which is analysis devoted to large datasets, has been identified as one of five IT focus areas by the federal government— which is sure to bring job growth. These days, as more business and personal interactions are computer- mediated, an enormous amount of data is being collected. This makes data mining even more crucial. A recent report by McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, predicts a shortage of 150,000 analysts with “big data” ex- pertise by 2018, and more severely, they predict a shortage of 1.5 million “data-savvy” managers. This makes a certificate or a concentration in busi- ness analytics a wise career option for IT or M.B.A. students. For information, call 800-986- 2247 or visit www.nova.edu/scis . n Computer Science School Debuts Business Intelligence/Analytics Program around NSU Professor Abramson updates her bulletin board filled with photographs, letters, and invitations from her students. Professor Gertrude Abramson takes great pride in her students’ bound dissertations kept in her office.