IMC funds KM in the classroom

Fortune 500 businesses are not the only ones looking to understand knowledge management, but perhaps because they are, students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park, are as well--with a new seminar series.

Getting the Knowledge Management Seminar Series underway is a $52,500 donation over three years from Information Management Consultants (www.imc.com).

"Most universities don't have a course in knowledge management," said Suresh Shenoy, executive VP of IMC, "but you can plant the seed for courses by having seminars like these."

The purpose of the seminars is to introduce students to knowledge management, to show how business school knowledge can combine with technology, and to prepare some students for careers in knowledge management, according to Shenoy. Citing a lack of qualified people in the industry now, Shenoy added, "In the long run, it benefits us all."

"We are working strategically to distinguish the Smith School as one of the nation's best schools for business learning and knowledge advancement," said Howard Frank, dean of the business school. "Critical to our success are activities that provide opportunities for the school to focus on knowledge and information management."

The first seminar dealt with electronic commerce and featured Stuart Feldman, director of the IBM Institute for Advanced Commerce (www.ibm.com).