Transforming an information surplus into an information success is the aim of knowledge science, and doing so in the burgeoning area of knowledge services is the focus of UC Santa Cruz: Knowledge Services and Enterprise Management (KSEM). This CITRIS-supported program is offered by UCSC’s Baskin School of Engineering at its Silicon Valley Center through the UC Santa Cruz Extension.
There was a time when the business leaders defined the objectives and strategies of a company and computer scientists would simply implement the IT portion of that plan. But today, technology is so powerful and complex, so essential to any large enterprise, that it can no longer be considered separate from the business model itself. Hence, the CEOs and COOs of tomorrow need to have a nuanced and sophisticated grasp of knowledge science and services.
Each time a service is delivered, whether the interaction is successful or not, the provider has a chance to learn something valuable from the encounter. The businesses that succeed in learning, and in plowing their new knowledge back into their operations, will remain on top. Those that do not will fall behind their competition or simply drown in their data.
Helping businesses gain the edge that comes from good information management, and teaching computer savvy engineers and business savvy managers how to do that, are two of KSEM’s principal aims. The program currently offers its graduates a certificate, but Master’s and Ph.D. certification are in the works; those degree programs will be available by the fall quarter of 2008.
(Photo: UC Santa Cruz’s Engineering 2 Building houses the Citris@UCSC offices.)