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Home > People > Alumni Profiles > Spotlight
SI SpotlightRandy
T. Horton (MILS '96)
"As a world-class research university, Michigan affords its students an incredible array of opportunities and resources in the academic realm. While at SI, I took a variety of cognate courses in other departments (many with professors who have since joined the SI faculty.) In the cultural and entertainment realms, Ann Arbor offers the same caliber of options that can be found in a major American city, except that all if it is situated within a 15-minute walking radius. I also made an incredibly wide variety of friends in Ann Arbor, who continually resurface at various points in my life."
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Before SI: Randy graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Michigan. "As I came close to finishing up my undergraduate education in Ann Arbor in 1994, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next. My friends told me that I should do something where I could 'organize things and people' and utilize my creativity, but I didn't quite know what to do with that advice.
"At that time, the University of Michigan was on the cutting edge of developing many aspects of the Internet, which was just beginning to move into the American mainstream. I found myself spending a lot of time exploring the Internet, especially after I stumbled upon the first release of the Mosaic browser. After someone told me that SI was doing some cool things related to the Internet, I stopped in to check out the School.
"I immediately knew that while I couldn't yet define my career path, and knew that it probably wouldn't be in a library, SI was the place where I was going to figure it out."
At SI: "I had the privilege to be a part of the original SI seminar that created the Internet Public Library. The IPL was really a pioneering project that in many ways still sets the bar for me when I try to ensure that my deliverables are easy to navigate and add significant value to the information and data that they present to their users."
An advantage of the SI program is the ability to take some courses in other U-M schools and colleges. Not only do you get different faculty perspectives, you get to meet students with different views. "Although it didn't seem momentous at the time, I had the opportunity in Professor Judy Olson's human-computer interaction course to become friendly with an undergraduate senior from the College of Engineering. 'Larry' was a very bright and interesting student with a strong interest in the Internet who had just been accepted to Stanford's Ph.D. program in computer science. I lost track of Larry after he moved out West, but rediscovered him a few years ago in every major newspaper and magazine as 'Larry Page, co-founder of Google.'"
After SI: Now is business development manager for Geneca in the Chicago area. The company offers services related to software development, advisory services, and transformation services. Previously, he was the director of IT business development for NORC at the University of Chicago. NORC is a nonprofit national organization for research and computing with approximately $100 million in annual revenue. Previously, he was a project manager for Lante Corporation (an E-commerce consulting firm), a staff consultant for Computer Sciences Corp. in the Consulting & Systems Integration Division (a commercial consulting firm), and an information architect for Argus Associates, a firm founded by two SI alumni.
Randy notes that despite preparing for a career while in School, your on-the-job experiences are wide-ranging and expand your skill set. During more than 10 years in the field, Randy has provided support to a pharmaceutical contracting system, managed a PeopleSoft data conversion team for the human resources/payroll systems merger of two major banks, developed a wireless E-commerce prototype for one of the nation's largest owners of shopping malls, managed an IT team supporting survey data collection for a study of Air Force Veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, assisted the government of Qatar in the Persian Gulf in creating an agency to collect and disseminate data related to a national education reform, and coordinated federal grant portfolios related to federal initiatives in the areas of patient safety/medical error and health information technology.
"In each of these projects, I have leveraged some aspect of my education, ranging from information design to usability to understanding the impact of IT on organizational processes and structures. SI teaches a unique perspective on how to look at systems, organizations, and information in general. I find that my education continues to be of use in new -- and often unexpected -- ways."
Randy urges students to prepare themselves for the day when they become job-seekers by making their talents known, long before they graduate. "Since SI is continually immersed in cutting-edge fields, there is often not a clear job path for a student whose interests may be a few years ahead of the marketplace.
"The best way to make sure that an SI education leads to the best possible job is to start networking 'early and often.' Attend conferences, introduce yourself to guest speakers at the School, and when you start looking for a job, don't be afraid to ask people for suggestions and help. These activities can end up making the difference when you get out of school between getting a good job and getting a great job."
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