Welcome to the University of West Florida's Student Chapter of Association for Information Systems homepage.
UWF's AIS chapter was created to build a lasting connection between Management Information System students and business professionals. In earlier UWF years, ACM (The Association for Computing and Machinery) was the founding organization for the MIS degree field. In the Spring of 2010, UWF students voted that the ACM organization should be converted to the newer AIS (The Association for Information Systems) organization. Primary reasons for this transformation include the one-time opportunity of being a charter AIS chapter, the organization's more in-line focus towards MIS students, and the numerous advances in technology and changes in business attitudes at UWF and the global community. Currently, the local UWF AIS chapter boasts numerous achievements and other recognition. UWF was one of the founding fathers top 50 charters for the global student organization.
Your local AIS chapter is one of the few that is backed by an educational institution that is accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Most importantly, its local community is formed from leading and world recognized UWF alumni. UWF's local Association for Information Systems chapter welcomes all students and professionals to join its community and help build a foundation for future MIS students for years to come!
About AIS
What is AIS' background?
Founded in 1994, the Association for Information Systems is the premier global organization for academics specializing in information systems. AIS networks 4,000 members from 90 countries and is a key player in the advancement of the IS academic community. Supporting the new MIS degree field, the need for such an organization was first spelled out in an editorial authored by five past Editor's-in-Chief of the Management Information Systems Quarterly in March of 1993.
What makes AIS successful?
AIS supports a centralized and comprehensive resource for IS academics, offering interactive community forums for research and thoughtful discussion, informed guidance from seasoned experts and numerous professional tools that will help you connect, exchange and advance.
What can AIS do for you?
AIS is constantly evolving to meet your needs. By interacting with our members and staying current with the latest trends in IS, AIS creates and implements new and innovative benefits with one goal in mind: to help you advance your academic IS career.
Whether through networking opportunities, access to first-class research and top tier journals, job placement services or discounted registration fees to; leading IS conferences around the world, AIS membership will provide you with the tools and resources you need to connect, exchange and advance.
What can you do for AIS?
Join and participate in your local UWF AIS chapter! AIS is a community that expands from the addition of new professionals in its network and the creativity and idea generation of its members. As one of the newest IS organizations, students should put in their stake as a new founding charter member.
Brief History of ACM and UWF College of Business
The Association for Computing Machinery was founded by Columbia University in New York on September 15, 1947. With 95,000 members from over 100 countries, ACM works to advance computing as a science and a profession. Its creation was the logical outgrowth of increasing interest in computers as evidenced by several events, including a January 1947 symposium at Harvard University on large-scale digital calculating machinery and the six-meeting series in 1946-47 on digital and analog computing machinery conducted by the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
UWF's college of Business once housed ACM for its MIS majors to be a part of for its organization. ACM ran strong for MIS majors and those interested in information systems alike, but ACM at heart was mentor more for the engineering community. AIS more closely caters to a managerial perspective of information systems. The College of Business now houses AIS for MIS majors for career building opportunities.