Auto industry powerhouse, General Motors (GM), is shifting from information technology (IT) outsourcing to an insourcing model.  In its efforts, the company has increasingly been hiring students and recent graduates in high numbers from the FSU College of Communication and Information (CCI)’s School of Library & Information Studies (SLIS).

GM’s IT refocusing relies on the establishment of research and development hubs, dubbed “innovation centers,” across the country.  Visiting over 90 colleges nationwide, GM representatives have been scouting potential candidates to bring much-needed skills to their company.  “We’re currently seeking the next generation of game-changers to help us usher in a new age of automotive innovation at GM,” said Chief Information Officer, Randy Mott.

Derik Goodall, PMP, is a fourth generation GM employee who has been working with their IT for over 10 years.  He believes that the excitement and IT career opportunities have never been better at the company.  According to Goodall, “we are truly going through a reinvention of the GM IT team, looking for the best, the game changers, the employees looking to learn, grow and help make a difference.  GM is stepping out of the box and building the best in-house technology team possible.  We are finding creative ways to inspire, retain, and grow to provide technology that helps us to design, build, and sell the world’s best vehicles.”

Ebe Randeree, CCI Associate Dean, helped coordinate relations between the college and Goodall, who is in charge of spearheading GM’s IT recruitment efforts.  Goodall and his fellow GM recruiters first visited FSU SLIS to present a company information session in the fall of 2012.  Randeree mentioned, “Our IT students impressed them so much that they accepted applications beyond the initial cutoff dates, offering interviews to several candidates.  They returned again in spring semester of 2013 to recruit the next round of qualified students.”

Since the fall of 2012 when GM increased their IT hiring efforts, 39 total FSU students have been hired, including seven internships this summer.  Out of these Seminoles, 12 are graduates from the SLIS IT program.  By early spring of 2013, three of CCI’s IT students received job offers, and an additional nine more were hired by the end of summer 2013.

Thomas Smith, Jr., technical analyst with the CCI Help Desk, is among the recent GM hires, starting work soon at their new location in Austin, Texas.  When asked what the company was looking for in its new IT applicants, Smith recalled what he heard at a presentation by Mott in Atlanta, Georgia, near the site of another proposed Innovation Center, “They’re interested in students who are driven, inspired, and adventurous.”

Recently hired grad, John Seigel, said that “working for GM is a great career opportunity, and the SLIS IT program helped prepare me to make the most of it.”

Another SLIS former student, Gina Cyrille, mentioned she was proud to be in the first group of FSU students employed at GM.  Gina said that “GM is going through a major transformation and it’s almost as if it is a start-up company but within a large corporation so there are many different opportunities to learn and grow.  The FSU IT program did an excellent job at providing me with relevant real-world experience, especially my courses in databases, leadership, and business communication.”

In describing the relationship that FSU has built with GM, Goodall said, “I am truly impressed, and so are the other leaders in GM, with the energetic, talented technology students we have encountered and had the opportunity to hire.  The FSU students we have brought on have a passion in technology interests, proven analytical and problem- solving skills, and leadership experience.  We have been so fortunate to work with FSU!  The students, faculty, and administration have been welcoming, professional, and true leaders.”

CCI Dean, Dr. Larry Dennis, was pleased by the success of these students in securing positions at GM.  He recently visited the GM Data Center in Warren, Michigan.  According to Dennis, “This is a good validation of a strong IT program at FSU SLIS.  It shows that our students are prepared to enter a dynamic job market with a great company.”

Here is a full list of the FSU SLIS graduates hired by GM since Fall 2012 and their work locations:

• Diego Corzo
• Gina Cyrille
• Jeff Faller
• Zachery Lloyd
• Vincent Osborne
• John Seigel
• Thomas Smith

• Derek Fernandez
• Tremaine Grant
• Mazin Hasan
• Thomas Heltkowski

• Trevor Norwood