Saturday, May 17, will be a historic date for the University of Missouri-Rolla. On that day the first business and management systems graduate from UMR’s recently established School of Management and Information Systems will receive her degree.

Gina LoBello, a senior from St. Louis, will receive a bachelor of science degree in business and management systems during UMR’s Spring Commencement ceremonies. She is the first UMR student to graduate with this degree.

"The School of Management and Information Systems is very proud to have such an outstanding student as Gina to be our first business graduate," says Dr. Arlan R. DeKock, dean of UMR’s School of Management and Information Systems. "In addition to her excellent scholarship, she has participated in activities ranging from varsity softball to the Alpha Iota Delta honor society. We expect her to be very successful as a future leader in business."

UMR established the School of Management and Information Systems in the fall of 2001 to meet a growing industry demand for people with training in both management and information technology. Its establishment is the result of recommendations from an independent survey of 230 companies that recruit UMR graduates. The companies surveyed indicated interest in recruiting and hiring graduates of the school.

The school offers undergraduate, graduate and emphasis programs in business administration, economics, finance, information science and technology, and management information systems.

LoBello, the daughter of John and Kathy LoBello, transferred to UMR from Truman State University, where she was a communications and journalism major.

After attending a career fair, LoBello decided she wanted a career more focused on computer technology and began searching for a university with a management information systems program.

"After researching UMR and the School of Management and Information Systems, it seemed like the best fit," LoBello says. "UMR’s reputation as a strong academic institution, as well as the possibility of participating in the softball program, convinced me to transfer."

This summer, LoBello will put the skills she honed at UMR to work at SBC Communications in St. Louis as an associate analyst in the information technology department.