Re-posted from Dal News. Click here to read the full post:

Today’s meeting is with Steve Morley, an IT architect with Medical Information Technology (MedIT) in Dal’s Faculty of Medicine.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Dal?

The team of people that I get to work with each day are fantastic. When I started working in the Medical School I had no idea I would be a “lifer.” After I had been there a year, Sharon Forward, the Director of Medicine Admissions said “just wait you’ll be here in 10 years before you know it.” She took me to lunch when I had been there that long. Our department spends our time supporting the entire Faculty of Medicine community. One of the biggest projects our team was ever part of was the opening of the Saint John satellite medical school for New Brunswick students. It took our entire team to get that launched, and the quality of this program is a testament to the team. I am very proud to be part of that group.

What’s the most surprising thing we might see on your resume/cv?

That I was made an honorary classmate of the Medical School classes of 2006 and 2007. (See answer to the next question to learn how that happened).

What’s the strangest job experience you’ve ever had?

Prior to the pandemic, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other collaboration platforms weren’t in widespread use. One of the strangest things I had to do happened when a local student got the mumps. We had to set up a computer in Theatre A of the Tupper Link with a special laptop with a microphone and speakers, and then I delivered a computer to the student’s home so she could participate in class.

I suspect that act may have to contributed to me being named as an honorary member of her graduating class. I got to go to the Medical School Gala to accept the award. Ironically, my wife wasn’t able to go because she had been teaching a session to the College of Pharmacy and was exposed to someone who had mumps. She had never had the mumps so was quarantined at home for 2 weeks. I like to think my grandfather was pleased. He graduated from the Dalhousie Medical School in 1944.

Shared from the CEGE website here.

John Jenkins already had significant experience in the IT industry when he decided to take up the Master of Information Management (MIM) program. Working mostly in the offshore oil industry on projects like Hibernia and Terra Nova, by the time he started the program he was already a Chief Information Officer at engineering and construction firm Kiewit Corporation. But Jenkins always felt that his formal learning needed to catch up with his job title. “I had a bit of imposter syndrome, thinking ‘how can I be responsible for $10 billion worth of work with a technology diploma?’” says Jenkins, who had been working steadily in the IT field ever since completing his initial training at age 18.

Looking around at programs that would fit his busy CIO schedule, he discovered the right fit nearby. “I found the Master of Info Management and it was right up my alley,” recalls Jenkins. He put together a work portfolio and entered the program in 2013 based on this evidence of his prior learning. “I was accepted, and over the moon,” he says. The fact that he could do the degree remotely was a big plus.

Engaging and immediately applicable

Today’s MIM is made up of 9 courses and delivered 90 percent online, with an intensive, in-person session held for 2 to 3 days at the end of each course. Jenkins says he knew he’d made the right choice with the program from his first class, taught by Bertrum MacDonald. “He was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging, and definitely provided a fantastic introduction to the program in general,” recalls Jenkins.

Jenkins also loved the intensives at the end of each course. “It was great to meet my classmates; there’s a camaraderie for a brief time that you don’t always get when working remotely,” he says, adding that he also welcomed the chance to visit Halifax from his home in Newfoundland. “It’s also nice to visit the university you’re attending in person.”

Several times he was able to apply the learning from his courses in his workplace immediately. For example, finishing a course on information policy happened to coincide with one of his roles. “My new employer was just starting to mature in this area, so I was able to walk into the new organization with this fresh learning in mind. That really drove one of my major initiatives, to expand our quality management system,” says Jenkins.

Moving on and making it to graduation

After living in Newfoundland for most of his life, Jenkins moved to Montreal to take up his current role as vice-president of information technology and information management at engineering firm Morrison Hershfield. That’s where he took his last course, just under the wire of the program’s seven-year completion limit due to a previous course being interrupted by a fast-acting cataract that had left him briefly blind (he had surgery to fix it). Jenkins credits the program support staff with getting him back on track for his final credit, which he completed during the pandemic while at the same time overseeing the move to remote working for the 1,200 employees who work at Morrison Hershfield.

Jenkins is a happy grad, calling the MIM program unique for its broad focus. “It’s the ultimate generalists’ program for technology and information management: it doesn’t delve too deeply into the technology, but it addresses all key areas,” he says. In an industry that often supports specialization, Jenkins says he’s noticed that those who rise to the top are the ones with a broad understanding, something that he too favours when hiring. “It’s now widely recognized that CIOs of today are people who have that broad range of skills, and few schools give you that training.”

“I devoted my final capstone project towards facilitating communication across the various, remotely-located, offices in which I dealt with on a regular basis.  It is gratifying to know that many of the findings contained in my capstone presentation continue to greatly benefit the organization.”

Sarah Horrocks, MIM Class of 2011

In a recent virtual interview, Sarah joined CEGE Connection in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the MIM program.

Sarah Horrocks:

I was one of the first recipients of the MIM degree from Dalhousie. Being part of the inaugural cohort of students meant being grouped together for every course, which led to many lasting friendships that continue to this day. The MIM program opened a new way of thinking about how to organize documents and materials for the preservation and continuity of business knowledge and information assets.

While I was studying for the degree, I was also working in two different office environments. I found that every aspect of what I was learning was immediately applicable to my work in both of those positions. I developed a deeper understanding of some of the legal underpinnings of information management and privacy legislation and was able to correct several policies that had fallen into non-compliance. I created a document retention/disposition policy and instituted file naming conventions for ease of document retrieval that exist to this day. I devoted my final capstone project towards facilitating communication across the various, remotely-located, offices in which I dealt with on a regular basis.  It is gratifying to know that many of the findings contained in my capstone presentation continue to greatly benefit the organization.

Thanks to the flexible MIM blended online model, I was able to complete my degree, despite facing many time constraints. It was not unusual for me to be doing homework during my kids’ football games, paddling practices, even during my son’s bagpipe lessons (THAT was a challenge!).  The faculty were extremely helpful in devising options for working around the occasional life events that caused interruptions in studies, such as skyping in to intensives or offering independent studies. Having the course material available online meant you were able to access it at your convenience from any location.  The moderated online discussions ensured you were able to exchange your ideas with colleagues and faculty to better understand the material. The “in person” intensive sessions were a two-day whirlwind of knowledge exchange, presentations, papers and most importantly, networking. We worked incredibly hard.  Even so, being together as a group made the experience extremely rewarding.

I would (and often do) encourage others to explore this program because there is so much to learn that is interesting and immediately applicable to any organization. In fact, my husband, a career army man, received his MIM degree in 2017. The variety of specialized electives available allow the degree to be tailored to fit a variety of interests. I am continually excited to uncover where my MIM knowledge can next be applied. This fall, after 13 years with the same organization, I am dusting off my CV and embarking on a job search, with my MIM designation at the top of my list of qualifications. I am ever eager to put my hard-earned degree to good use!