“Our connections to high-tech companies allow us tounderstand the needs of the high-technology communityand address those needs by tailoring solutionsthat are also built around our strengths.”BUILDING ON A STRONG FOUNDATIONWhen Massoud Amin became the new director of the Center for the Development of<strong>Technological</strong> <strong>Leadership</strong> (CDTL) in March, he assumed leadership not only for threeprofessional degree programs, but also for short courses and other educationalpackages that benefit the state’s high-technology community.Where will CDTL go from here?The answer to that question, in part, will come from the development of a three-yearroadmap, says Amin, who plans to involve industry representatives in developing thestrategic plan.Whatever directions may emerge from the strategic plan, CDTL remains committedto the technology community that it serves and to the principles behind its professionalprograms, he says. That commitment includes the following components:Continuing to excel in delivering the center’s flagship management of technology (MOT)degree program. The MOT degree offers the high-technology community a way to investin its managers and leaders. The program’s unique value to the community grows eachyear as more graduates complete the program and as CDTL increases its collaborationswith industry.Offering other professional degree programs for technical professionals and leaders thatfill a market need and fit well with the CDTL model for professional degree programdelivery. Both current programs, software engineering and infrastructure systems engineering,resulted from needs that the local community helped identify. As appropriate,CDTL will explore other possibilities for degree programs.Refining the elements that make the management of technology field unique. As thecomplexity of issues that surround technology development grows, new dimensions ofmanagement of technology issues emerge. Whether technology forecasting or systemanalysis, CDTL plans to remain a leader in understanding the management of technologyand its implications for the high-technology community it serves.Identifying educational products that share those developments with the high-technologycommunity. Collaborations with industry will help CDTL determine the most effectiveways to present and deliver educational offerings on new topics, whether short courses,forums, or other methods.Adding a research component into the mix. By becoming a home to faculty from variousdisciplines, CDTL intends to help facilitate research in the management of technologyand technology systems areas that cuts across disciplines. CDTL also is in a uniqueposition to bring the results and application of that research into the classroom, sharingwith professionals the latest in thought and practice.Amin takes a broad view of technologyand the management of technology—aview that complements thework of CDTL in defining the uniqueaspects of technology management.Technology, he says, has playedand will continue to play a key role inraising the quality of life for individualsand society as a whole. As technologiesexpand capabilities, understanding theworkings of the whole system takes onan even greater relevance, he says.“Innovation and intelligent managementof technology is needed evenmore now than ever before,” he says.“The ability to deal with the wholesystem and the people in that systembecomes crucial to effective managementof technology.”His current work embraces an evenbroader perspective, the concept ofglobal transition dynamics, which callsfor an integrated planning approach toguide national and global technologydevelopment.With roots firmly grounded inresearch that spans many disciplines,Amin looks forward to working withcolleagues in the <strong>Institute</strong> of Technology(IT) and in industry on researchcollaborations that advance the managementof technology in a diversity offields and industries. In addition toserving as the center’s director and asthe H.W. Sweatt Chair, he holds a facultyappointment within IT’s electricaland computer engineering department.“There are many challenges in infrastructures,manufacturing, and softwarethat will persist, requiring solutionsusing hard engineering,” says Amin.“These challenges will provide the idealopportunity for experience and growthwithin CDTL, IT, and beyond.”In the spring and summer, Amin willmeet with faculty, students, and industryrepresentatives and begin planning4 CenterPoint
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