The 17th annual
awards were presented in nine categories to individuals, companies and
organizations from the Charlotte area's IT industry that apply
technology to make business better and to better serve the community.
Other Blue Diamond Awards recognizing UNC Charlotte went to IT
graduate student Hari Rajagopalan and the university's Student Portal.
The scholarships are valued at $4,000 and will be credited to recipients
at a rate of $800 per six-month term for up to five terms.wgu.edu

at university

Charlotte Chamber Honors UNC Charlotte's IT Dean; Blue Diamond Awards Recognize UNC Charlotte for Development and Use of Technology

Funding for the $4,000 scholarships came
from a federal grant .

research personal

Hadzikadic, who came to the United States in 1984 on a Fulbright
Scholarship, joined the UNC Charlotte faculty in 1987. "This program has honestly changed my life as a teacher and
student for the better," she said.

Life at the University of Illinois.

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Business Editors/Education Editors
Blue Diamond Awards 2005

CHARLOTTE, N.

student links

The final award presented during the evening's ceremony recognized
Hadzikadic with the Neel Award, named for Richard Neel, a former dean
of the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte who greatly impacted
the growth of the city's technology field.edu/UTteacher or call toll-free 866-225-5948.

life illinois

The award recognizes an
individual's lifetime contributions in support of technology in the
Charlotte region and career achievements in the IT industry. Hadzikadic has served as the director of Medical
Informatics for Carolinas HealthCare System and managed the Health
Systems Integration Service Line for Deloitte and Touche Consulting.
WGU is the nation's only accredited, online university that uses a
competency-based model where students demonstrate their skills and competency
through a series of assessments.

Contact: Jeff LeFevre
Western Governors University
(801) 327-8102 jlefevre@wgu.

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college illinois

----Mirsad
Hadzikadic, dean of the College of Information Technology (IT) at The
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, received the Neel Award
during the Charlotte Chamber Information Technology Charlotte
Council's Blue Diamond Awards on Thursday, March 10.
Rajagopalan received the ITC Joanna R.

society college

C. "I feel so much better equipped to teach
today's future.

university illinois

Before becoming dean in 2000, Hadzikadic was chair of UNC Charlotte's
computer science department, served as director of the university's
Software Solutions Lab and as acting director of the School of
Information Technology before it was established as the College of
Information Technology in 2000.

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Baker Fellowship, which
recognizes a UNC Charlotte graduate student who best demonstrates
interest in an IT career to serve the public sector. He has focused his research and scholarship
activities in three areas: data mining, cognitive science and medical
informatics.

student personal

UNC Charlotte's
Student Portal earned a Corporate Award for the best use of IT in
customer service. Hadzikadic has
more than 25 years of information technology experience combining
business and academics.
Western Governors University (WGU), headquartered in Salt Lake City, has more
than 60 scholarships available for Utah teachers to earn a master's degree
from its online Teachers College.

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Summer School for Teachers

Recent WGU graduate, Kristie Ashment, a sixth -grade teacher at Lincoln
Elementary, said she went back to school to get a pay raise, but left with
much more. Instead of earning credit hours for taking a
certain number of courses, students show competency through tests, projects,
and portfolios. For more
information go to http://www.

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$4,000 Scholarships Awaiting Utah Teachers

SALT LAKE CITY, While many teachers will soon begin
their summer vacation, others will be going back to school for themselves .

data society

More than 200 teachers and prospective teachers are currently enrolled in
WGU's Teachers College. To date, more than 70 Utah teachers have earned their
master's degrees from WGU, which founded its Teachers College in 2003."
Ashment, like many other teachers, was attracted to WGU 's online courses
which allowed her to keep a full-time job, attend to her family, and still
receive a quality education.