MIS: what is happening at UNCC?

     UNC Charlotte wants to play a role in efforts to bring Charlotte's technology sector to the forefront.
     As part of that strategy, the university is seeking $5 millions in state funding over 2 years for a public-private venture called the Data Science and Business Analytics initiative.
     The effort seek to improve North Carolina's ability to stimulate innovation by using data and analytics across a rage of industries, while also developing a pipeline of tech workers, UNC Chancellor Phil Dubois says.
     "Charlotte is a deep community in terms of companies that can benefit from using big data," he says. "The companies that want to be successful are moving in this direction."
     The initiative will support job creation and encourage business to invest in the Charlotte region and across the state, he adds. Demand for professional with data experience will outstrip the supply of workers by as much as 60% by 2018, according to research by global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. That will result in a shortage of as many as 190,000 specialists nationwide. An additional 1.5 million managers and analysts will be needed, the firm predicts.
     UNCC's data initiative will use inter-disciplinary academic programs to train data scientists, business analysts, and managers. A professional science master's degree in data science and business analytics  is planned.

Source: "UNC Charlotte looks for bigger role" by Jennifer Thomas, Charlotte Business Journal Volume 27, February 8, 2013.