Loyola hopes that's an omen. The move has risks. Loyola is having to shift resources from other fields to fund the B-school revamp and related plans. But Loyola clearly feels the risk is worth it. After years of faculty dissension and weakened revenues from its medical school, the Jesuit educational institution smells a winner in soaring demand for technology managers.
Outsiders say the moves are highly promising.
They've done their research. What they're doing is fantastic. Leading the initiative is Henry Venta, who took over as dean of Loyola's School of Business Administration and its graduate school this summer after serving as head of its Department of Information Systems and Operations Management. Already, the B-school has tripled its tech course offerings and doubled the number of faculty in the field, with 16 of 70 instructors now teaching such courses. Eventually, half the school's faculty will teach tech as Loyola continues to add offerings such as its new master's program in information systems management, in which enrollment has jumped to 80 from eight students in three years, Mr. Venta says.