Poly emerges as leader in tech management education

The field of technology management has long been dominated by practitioners and neglected by business school academics. Now, Poly is helping to lead the way in establishing technology management education as a distinct discipline.

This was apparent at the recent Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology ’07 conference, which took place from Aug. 5 to Aug. 9. Poly was represented by no fewer than five individuals at PICMET ’07, including  Associate Provost and Westchester Campus Dean Andres Fortino, Professor of Management Mel Horwitch and Associate Professor of Management Bharat Rao. The theme of this year’s conference, “Management of Converging Technologies,” was addressed in papers given by each faculty member. Professor Rao presented two papers, one each with technology management doctoral students Bojan Angelov and Bala Mulloth.

Poly’s strong presence at the conference should come as no surprise to those involved in educating technology managers. Poly has dedicated itself to being a leader in this management specialization, which also plays to the University’s strengths in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship.

“Early on, we made an explicit decision to devote our resources to the management of innovation and technology,” said Professor Horwitch, chair of Poly’s department of management, co-director of Poly’s Management of Technology Executive Master’s Program and director of Poly’s Institute for Technology and Enterprise. “The rest of the business school community – such as Columbia, NYU and Fordham – do a fine job in such areas as general management and corporate finance, but at a technology-based university like Poly, broadly defined technology management is our natural and valued niche.”

One of the ways that the University chose to play such a specialized role was to be one of the institutions instrumental in the founding of the Technology Management Education Association in 2000. Another founding institution was the Stevens Institute of Technology, whose Howe School of Technology Management was headed at the time by Jerry M. Hultin, the current Poly president. Then-Dean Hultin served as the first chair of TMEDA, which brings together educators and professionals in the field.

Professor Horwitch is now chair of the organization. Dean Fortino is president.

“TMEDA brings best practices in technology management education to academe, industry and government, and forges partnerships between them,” said Dean Fortino.

Under the leadership of Professor Horwitch, Dean Fortino and TMEDA’s Vice Chair, Stevens Professor Edward A. Stohr, TMEDA has forged closer bonds with PICMET over the years. One manifestation of that relationship was the holding of TMEDA’s annual workshop during PICMET ‘07. Dean Fortino presided over the workshop, “Technology Management Education: Best Practices,” which provided the opportunity for corporate and university technology management educators to discuss and share their best practices for their education and training programs.

TMEDA’s efforts were also aided by last spring’s launch of the International Journal of Technology and Innovation Management Education. Professor Horwitch co-edits the new publication with Professor Shlomo Maital of Israel’s Technion Institute of Management.

“Poly’s strength in technology management and its renown in this field should grow in the coming years,” said Professor Horwitch. “As the University’s Department of Management continues to foster closer ties with colleagues in engineering and the applied sciences, it will assume leadership positions in fostering excellence in technology management research and education.”