Computing and Information Sciences Faculty
Computing and Information Sciences faculty are dedicated to creating a comfortable and personal learning environment for Computing and Information Sciences students. In addition, the faculty come from a variety of diverse backgrounds offering expertise in a wide range of fields to enrich our students’ experience here at Dakota State.
| Name: | Dr. Rick Christoph |
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| Education: | - Ph.D. in Industrial Management (minor in Mathematical Economics) from Clemson University | |||||
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| Research Interests: | Effectiveness of Tablet PC instructional systems, multimedia and computer-based instructional systems and the impact of such systems on faculty productivity. | |||||
| Short Bio: | I serve as a Professor of Business and Computer Information Systems in the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University. I have been involved in the computer information systems area since 1977 when I began working with the IBM Corporation as a Marketing Representative. I usually teach Honors 105 (Introduction to Computers), BADM 482 (Strategic Management), and BADM 435 (Management of Technology) as well as several graduate courses. |
| Name: | Connie Daniel |
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| Education: | - MS in Mathematics Education, Western Illinois University | |||||
| Teaching Areas: | COBOL, Visual Basic, IBM Mainframe Environments | |||||
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| Short Bio: | Connie Daniel joined the faculty of Dakota State University as a Mathematics instructor in the fall of 1979. She moved into the Computer Information Systems area during the university’s mission change in the 1980s. Connie enjoys time spent with students both in and out of the classroom and loves the challenge of keeping up to date in the ever-changing field of computing. |
| Name: | Dr. Amit Deokar |
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| Education: |
- 2006 – Ph.D. (Management Information Systems),
The University of Arizona - 2002 – M.S. (Industrial Engineering), The University of Arizona - 2000 – B.E. (Mechanical Engineering), V. J. Technological Institute, University of Mumbai |
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| Teaching Areas: | Decision Support and Knowledge Management Research, Quantitative Research Methods, Introduction to Research, Project and Change Management | |||||
| Research Interests: | Design and Analysis of Business and Workflow Processes, E-business Workflow Management, Collaborative Process Management, Model Management, Decision Support Systems, Healthcare IT Applications. | |||||
| Short Bio: | Dr. Amit Deokar is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems. His current research focuses on design and analysis of business and workflow processes, and applications of decision support and knowledge management systems. He teaches graduate level IS courses in the D.Sc. and MSIS programs. He is a member of AIS, ACM, IEEE and AAAI. |
| Name: | Dr. Omar El-Gayar |
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| Education: |
- Ph.D. - University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA,
1995. - M.A. - University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA, 1996. - M.S. - University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt, 1991. - B.S. - University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt, 1987. |
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| Short Bio: | Dr. El-Gayar is the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and an Associate Professor of Information Systems. His research interests include: decision support systems, multiple criteria decision making, and the application of decision technologies in security planning and management, healthcare, and environmental management. He has an inter-disciplinary educational background and training in information technology, computer science, economics, and operations research. In addition to his academic credentials, Dr. El-Gayar has industry experience as an analyst, modeler, and programmer. He has numerous publications in the various information technology related fields. He is a member of AIS, ACM, INFORMS, and DSI. |
| Name: | Pat Engebretson |
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| Education: |
- Bachelor of Science: NDSU: 1997 - Masters of Science in Information Systems: DSU: 2001 |
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| Teaching Areas: | Visual Basic, Introduction to Computers | ||||
| Research Interests: | Information Assurance, Attack Patterns, Network Security, Computer Security | ||||
| Short Bio: | My name is Pat Engebretson. I am an instructor here at DSU, I am also working on my doctorate. I am looking forward to the day I am A.B.D. and even more so to the day I am DSc! Before coming back to school (in my former life) I worked in the private sector. I began my career as a programmer / coder and spent the last 5 years in network security, specifically banking security. I am married to the most beautiful woman in the world and I have a young daughter who is my heart and soul! My hobbies include anything related to bicycles (yes, pedal bicycles) and writing software. Feel free to contact me. |
| Name: | Tom Farrell |
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| Education: |
- B. S. in Education Dakota State University
- M. S in Education South Dakota State University - Additional Study: Numerous, including IBM and PeopleSoft University |
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| Research Interests: | Technology and its effect on education, 1 to 1 computing, distance education | |||||
| Short Bio: | I have been at Dakota State University since I was first a student during the summer of 1966 and became a faculty member in the fall of 1970. I have enjoyed the opportunity of wearing many hats while here at Dakota State. I have coached women’s volleyball, wrestling, football and golf while teaching in the field of health and physical education. At the time of the mission change for Dakota State I became one of the faculty members who were given the opportunity to retrain into the field of Information Systems. I truly enjoy teaching about and using all forms of technology. I think Tablets are awesome. |
| Name: | Dr. William Figg |
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| Education: |
-Ph.D. Capella University, Minneapolis, MN ,2003 |
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| Research Interests: | Management Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, Computer Security Systems, Digital Forensics, Security Planning and Management, and Digital Healthcare Management | |||||
| Short Bio: | Dr. Figg. Is an Associate Professor of Information Systems. He has an inter-disciplinary educational background and training in Information Technology, Digital Forensics, Information Security, Business Management, Economics, and Operations Strategy Research. In addition to his academic credentials, Dr. Figg has industry experience as an analyst, consultant, and business manager. He has numerous publications in the various information technology and digital security related fields. He is a member of IEEE, CCCT, SALT, EC-Council and ASCUE. |
| Name: | Dr. Xinwen Fu |
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| Education: |
- Ph.D.: Computer Engineering, Computer Science
Department of Texas A&M University, December
2005, Advisor: Dr. Wei Zhao - M.S.:, Digital Image Processing & Signal Processing, Department of Electrical Engineering, Graduate School of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), China, December 1998. - B.S.: Communication & Signal Processing, Department of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China, July 1995. |
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| Teaching Areas: | Computer Security, Software Security, Digital Forensics | |||||
| Research Interests: | Network Security and Privacy, Information Assurance, Computer Forensics, and System Reliability | |||||
| Short Bio: | Dr. Xinwen Fu is an Assistant Professor in the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University. He received his B.S. (1995) and M.S. (1998) in Electrical Engineering from Xian Jiaotong University, China and University of Science and Technology of China respectively. He obtained his Ph.D. (2005) in Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University. In 2005, he joined Dakota State University as a faculty member. |
| Name: | Dr. Steven K. Graham |
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| Education: |
- Computer Science Ph.D., University of Kansas,
1987 - Graduate study in Computer Engineering, Stanford, 1980-1984 - Computer Science, B.S., University of Kansas, 1980 - Mathematics, B.A., University of Kansas, 1980 |
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| Teaching Areas: | I teach almost anything related to Computer Science, but recently have been teaching Software Engineering, Assembly Language, Computer Organization & Architecture, GUI Programming, Systems & Security Programming, Wireless Security, Algorithms, and Artificial Intelligence. | |||||
| Research Interests: | My research interests are varied and include knowledge representation (particularly ontology mapping for physics), interactive and collaborative learning environments, and privacy and anonymity. Other interests include: algorithms, discrete event simulation, signal/image processing, genetic algorithms, and data mining/machine learning. | |||||
| Short Bio: | Things to know about me: I have been working with computers for over 30 years and have a strong mix of industrial and academic experience. I have worked for Hewlett-Packard (big company), Cadence Design Systems (medium), and a number of startups (small). I have taught at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Kansas, and now Dakota State University. My main interest has always been AI and learning related, but I've also: written compilers and other embedded systems tools; I've worked on teams developing discrete event simulation tools and on teams building a database engine and analytic tools from scratch. I've programmed in about 40 languages, give or take a half dozen depending on how you count them. |
| Name: | Dr. Tom Halverson |
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| Education: |
PhD - Computer Science -
The University
of Iowa - 1999 MS - Computer Science - The University of Iowa BA - Computer Science - University of Minnesota Morris - 1990 |
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| Teaching Areas: | Programming: C, C++, C#, VB, parallel,
distributed, OpenGL, ASP. Net Computer Science core: CS I, CSII, Data Structures, Assembly, Architecture, Compiler Design I completely enjoy teaching so I also offer a number of special topics courses to try some new areas |
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| Research Interests: | Student research projects | |||||
| Short Bio: | Welcome to my profile. Perhaps you stopped by just to see a picture of me in a tie - which is very rare :) Currently, I serve as the Dean for the College of Business & Information Systems and also as an Associate Professor of Computer Science. I try to stay in the classroom just as much as possible, usually 2-3 classes per semester, in order to recover from the meetings. I started at DSU in 1999 and continue to really enjoy working here. There are so many opportunities for students to be involved at DSU. |
| Name: | Dr. Stephen Krebsbach |
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| Education: |
- Ph.D. in Computer Science - North Dakota State
University - M.S. in Computer Science - Moorhead State University - B.S. in Computer Science - Moorhead State University |
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| Teaching Areas: | Undergraduate Computer Science (Operating Systems, Programming Languages, Data Structures, Object-Oriented Programming, etc.). Graduate Information System (Data Mining/Warehouse, Database Fundamentals, Advanced Database Issues, etc.) | |||||
| Research Interests: | Data-Mining, Knowledge Management, Database Security, Computer/Technology Education | |||||
| Short Bio: | Dr. Krebsbach is the Academic Coordinator for the Computer Science program in the collage of BIS. He teaches courses in both the undergraduate Computer Science (CSC) and the Masters of Information Systems (MSIS) programs at Dakota State University. He has been teaching full-time at the university level since 1988 and has had the privilege to act as project advisor for over 30 graduate students at DSU. |
| Name: | Dr. S. Malladi |
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| Teaching Areas: | Information Assurance | |||||
| Research Interests: | Information Assurance | |||||
| Short Bio: | At DSU, Dr. Malladi teaches and does research in the area of Information Assurance. |
| Name: | Dr. Jim McKeown |
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| Education: |
- University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA - Instructional Design Columbia University, New York, NY - Computer Education, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD |
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| Short Bio: | I teach programming, computer hardware and applications classes. |
| Name: | Dr. Lynette Molstad-Gorder |
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| Education: |
2007 Ed.D. in Educational Administration Adult
and Higher Education, University of SD 1993 Master of Business Administration and Management Information Systems, University of SD 1986 Bachelor of Business Administration, Dakota State University 1975 Master of Arts in Business Education, University of SD 1972 Bachelor of Science in Business Education, Dakota State University 11970 Associate of Science in Secretarial Science, Dakota State University |
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| Teaching Areas: | CIS 130 Visual Basic Programming CIS 251 Business Applications Programming SEED 302 Secondary and Middle Level Content Methods: Business & Computer Major SEED 303 Secondary and Middle Level Content Methods: Business & Computer Minor SEED 488 Student Teaching Supervision for Business and Computers CSC 105 Introduction to Computers |
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| Research Interests: | technology integration, using mobile computers in teaching and learning, faculty development, advising | |||||
| Short Bio: | I am on the faculty in the College of Business and Information Systems teaching information systems, computer, and business courses. I have been at DSU over 30 years as I also am a 1972 graduate of DSU. Before coming to the campus as a faculty member, I taught high school business at Washington Senior High School in Sioux Falls. |
| Name: | Dr. Mark Moran |
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| Education: |
- Ph.D. from Capella University in e-commerce
- MBA from the University of South Dakota |
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| Research Interests: | Business IT solutions, technology acceptance, Data communication networks | |||||
| Short Bio: | My primary interest is in the students at Dakota State University. I have consulted with businesses in the areas of e-commerce and data communication networks but I am at DSU because I enjoy working with students and teaching students about communication networks and computer hardware. Students interested in learning about the use of information technology to solve business problems should come to DSU to learn about how IT can solve business problems. My research interests are in the area of tablet computer adoption and networking technologies. |
| Name: | Barbara Myers |
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| Education: | ||||||
| Teaching Areas: | CSC 105--Introduction to Computers CSC 206--Advanced Computer Applications CIS 383--Networking I, CIS 385--Networking II |
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| Research Interests: | Computer Anxiety, Computer Attitudes, Advanced Concepts in Technology Use | |||||
| Short Bio: | I began my career in academia in 2001 as a student assistant teaching 2 Introduction to computer classes. However, prior to becoming a full-time instructor and finding my passion, I always felt as though I was an instructor. When I worked as a software support specialist, I would create and conduct training classes on the software we supported. When I began working as a systems administration/pc support specialist, I conducted learning classes in which employees would learn about the software and operating systems they would use. As both a computer support specialist and technical support specialist, I provided many individuals with one-on-one training in the software and operating systems they would use. I guess you can say teaching is in my blood. I am the daughter of a teacher and when I was 7 I was asked what I wanted to be. At that time, my mind was already made up to become a teacher. It just took me longer to get there than I expected. |
| Name: | Chris Olson |
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| Education: |
- BS Information Systems DSU - MS Information Systems DSU - D.Sc. Information Systems DSU – kind of in progress, but not really |
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| Teaching Areas: | Introduction to Computers, Visual Basic Programming, C++ Programming, Operating Environments, Programming for E-Commerce | |||||
| Research Interests: | Programming Languages, Data Management | |||||
| Short Bio: | I’ve lived in the Madison area my whole life and graduated from both Madison High School and Dakota State University. I’m relatively new as an instructor at DSU and teach mostly Internet classes in various programming languages and Microsoft applications. It’s a wonderful experience to work with many of the same people who helped to educate me. |
| Name: | Dr. Josh Pauli |
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| Education: |
- PhD in Software Engineering from North Dakota
State University [August 2006 - Fargo, ND, USA];
- MS in Information Systems from Dakota State University [December 2003 - Madison, SD, USA]; - BS in Information Systems from Dakota State University [May 2002 - Madison, SD, USA] |
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| Teaching Areas: | Systems Analysis & Design, .Net Programming, Project Management | |||||
| Research Interests: | Technology Entrepreneurship, Secure Software Requirements & Design, 1:1 Computing | |||||
| Short Bio: | In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Josh is also the Faculty Athletic Representative for DSU where he works closely with the Athletic Department to certify eligibility for all DSU student athletes. Josh is also a co-founder of Logic Lizard, a software development company that employs many DSU students as software developers. Josh is married and has two daughters which keeps him busy away from campus. |
| Name: | Dr. Wayne Pauli |
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| Education: |
- Capella University – Minneapolis, MN – PhD
August 2005 - Dakota State University – Madison, SD – MSIS May 2001 - Colorado Graduate School of Banking – Boulder, CO diploma received August 1983 - Northern State University – Aberdeen, SD – BS in Business Administration December 1976 |
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| Teaching Areas: | I teach from the 100 course level to the 700 course level. I really enjoy the classroom. Specifically I teach the Web programming sequence of classes, so you will see me in courses such as CIS 275, CIS 375, CIS 424, and over the past two years I have been teaching CSC 105 during the fall semester. | |||||
| Research Interests: | Native American Issues, Digital Divide, Ethics and Plagiarism, Intellectual Property Rights, Distance Education / Delivery Mechanisms, Effects of Technology on Society | |||||
| Short Bio: | Thanks for stopping by and based on the facts that you are reading this means you’re using the Internet and the WWW for information gathering. At Dakota State University you will be immersed in this technology and will take part in the gathering of information that will assist in the shaping of our future. You will find me in the technology rich curriculum My contact information is right here for you, please feel free to contact. Oh I almost forgot good luck with the information gathering. |
| Name: | Pam Rowland |
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| Education: |
- BS in Economics from SDSU - MSIS from DSU - D.Sc. in IS: Started Fall 2007 |
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| Teaching Areas: | Introduction to Computers | |||||
| Research Interests: | Social Networking for my research class. | |||||
| Short Bio: | Hi. Glad you chose to check out Computer and Information Systems at DSU! I have been at DSU for 4 years now, and it is a great place to work and go to school! I am currently in the Doctorate program at DSU and teaching as an Instructor. My husband and I enjoy living in Madison with our four children. Besides working at DSU, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. |
| Name: | Dr. Surendra Sarnikar |
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| Education: | - PhD in Management Information Systems, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ | |||||
| Teaching Areas: | Knowledge Management, Web Programming, and Client Server Technologies | |||||
| Research Interests: | Knowledge Management, Information Retrieval, Workflow Systems, and Recommender Systems | |||||
| Short Bio: | Surendra Sarnikar is an Assistant Professor in Information Systems at the College of Business and Information Systems. His work focuses on knowledge management, and technologies for knowledge dissemination and discovery. He is currently working on the integration of information retrieval and workflow technologies for automating knowledge flow in organizations. |
| Name: | Dr. Ronghua Shan |
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| Education: | - Ph.D. (1998) University of Nebraska-Lincoln | |||||
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| Research Interests: | Database Application, Data Mining | |||||
| Short Bio: | Dr. Ronghua Shan is an Associate Professor of Computer Science/Information Systems. His teaching areas are mainly in Data Management courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He was granted the Advanced Governor’s Faculty Award for Teaching with Technology in both 2000 and 2001. Dr. Shan has received 7 professional certificates on Data Management from Oracle and PeopleSoft. He is the University representative to the Oracle Academy Program. Dr. Shan’s research interests are in database applications and data mining issues. He has published numerous papers in both national and regional conferences. He is a member of the Decision Sciences Institute and Association for Information Systems. |
| Name: | Dr. Kevin Streff |
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| Education: |
- Ph.D in Electronic Business from Capella
University (2004) - MBA from Temple University (1995) - BBA from Dakota State University (1988) - BS in Information Systems from Dakota State University (1988) |
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| Short Bio: | Dr. Streff is the Director of the Center for Information Assurance at Dakota State, which has been recognized by both the National Security Agency and The Department of Homeland Security as a national center of academic excellence in information assurance. Dr. Streff has extensive knowledge of the financial services industry, including banking, insurance, and credit operations, and holds technology-related degrees from Dakota State, Temple, and Capella University, where he graduated with honors in all programs. Dr. Streff is founder and managing partner of Secure Banking Solutions, a security consulting firm focused on improving security in community banks across the country. Dr. Streff is also President of InfraGard - South Dakota, a partnership program between Private Industry and the U.S. government (represented by the FBI). |
| Name: | Brent Tulloss |
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| Education: |
- Master of Science in Information Systems,
Dakota State University - Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Dakota State University |
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| Short Bio: | I serve as an Instructor of Computer Information Systems in the College of Business and Information Systems at Dakota State University. I currently teach courses related to popular operating systems (CIS 328) and computer networking (CIS 383/385). If you're a prospective student, I hope that you'll choose DSU. You will be impressed with just how committed this university is to your success. |
| Name: | Mike Waldner |
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| Education: |
- B.S. In Information Systems from Dakota State
University - M.S. in Information Systems from Dakota State University |
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| Teaching Areas: | Computer Forensics | |||||
| Research Interests: | Computer Networking, Computer Forensics | |||||
| Short Bio: | Mike Waldner has been the Director of the State of South Dakota K-12 Data Center since its inception in 1999. Prior to this, he worked for the computing services of Dakota State University, State of South Dakota - Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, owner of a computer business, various computer consulting jobs, and still has various technology related commercial interests. |