"Techie" sets pace - Dr. Alan G. Merten, new president of Georgia Mason University

Black Issues in Higher Education, May 29, 1997 by Ronald Roach

In American higher education, rarely have computer scientists advanced to the top ranks of university leadership. At George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, Dr. Alan G. Merten, the school's newly inaugurated president, is getting the opportunity to demonstrate the leadership, administrative and academic skills he has acquired during his twenty-seven-year career as a computer scientist and teacher.

His stated goals include boosting the role of information technology in teaching, researching and administration. "I strongly believe that it is essential that we be on the leading edge in the use of information technologies in our teaching and learning activities, in our knowledge generation and knowledge application activities, and in the administration of our people, money, facilities and partnerships," said Merten during his presidential inauguration speech this past April.

"At George Mason University, we are uniquely positioned academically and located geographically to be world leaders in our use of information technologies," Merten further declared at inauguration.

Merten, who was formerly dean of the Cornell University graduate business school before taking the presidential appointment last summer, has in George Mason University the ideal school to test his skills and views on technology. George Mason was named this month as one of America's "100 most wired colleges," according to Yahoo! Internet Life magazine. Scoring highest among Virginia's public universities, the school ranked 68th overall in the survey that compared the use of technology in student services, academic use of the Internet and quality of computer hardware and wiring.

With a total enrollment of slightly more than 24,000 students, George Mason has in just twenty-five years as a public university become one of Virginia's largest schools. Only half of the student body attends George Mason on a full-time basis. The institution, which is considered a commuter school, has four separate campuses spread across the booming high technology region of northern Virginia. The concentration of technology firms in northern Virginia make the area the second largest high technology region in the nation, according to George Mason officials.

In a design that reflects the strength of regional industry, the engineering curriculum at George Mason revolves around information sciences rather than the physical sciences as is traditionally the case at American engineering schools. Merten said engineering education is based at George Mason's "School of Information Technology and Engineering" because the programs there are geared to help students pursue careers with local information technology companies. Information technology companies in the Washington, D.C. and northern Virginia region include America Online, Comsat and MCI.

Merten said it is critical that university presidents have a clear understanding of how information technology should work for their schools. He said decision making on information technology planning and purchases can no longer be delegated to others by school presidents or chief executives, a practice he sees common in both higher education and business.

After twenty-seven years of full-time teaching and administrating, Merten appears well-prepared to guide to George Mason into a leading role among American universities in the information technology arena. Merten earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, a master's degree in computer science at Stanford University, and doctorate in computer science at the University of Wisconsin. He has held teaching and administrative positions at the University of Michigan, the University of Florida and Cornell University.

"Merten is a strong advocate of education, possesses impressive leadership skills and has a proven ability to work well with a wide range of people. George Mason University is fortunate to have such an outstanding leader as we face the challenges of the next century," said Stanley Harrison, rector of the board of visitors at George Mason University.

Who Has Computers?

                       Percent with
Family Income       Computers in the Home
< 20,000                 9.2
20,000 - 29,999         18.5
30,000 - 39,999         26.5
40,000 - 49,999         35.2
50,000 - 74,999         47.3
75,000 and above        62.8

                        Percent with
Gender               Computers in the Home
Male                    36.2
Female                  36.0

                        Percent with
Race                 Computers in the Home
White                   43.3
Black                   16.1
Hispanic                15.2

                        Percent with
Age                  Computers in the Home

< 25                     30.8
25 - 29                  23.4
30 - 39                  30.7
40 - 49                  36.4
50 - 59                  27.1
60 and above             10.5