Pittarese Named Business and Technology Dean

PITTARESE TO LEAD COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Tony Pittarese, who served as Interim Dean of East Tennessee State University’s College of Business and Technology for a year and held the roles of Senior Associate Dean and Department Chair of Computing through 2021, will lead the college as Dean.

Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academics at ETSU, announced the appointment in May following a months-long search.

“Dr. Pittarese has been an integral part of the ETSU family since 2007 when he first joined us as an assistant professor,” said McCorkle. “Dr. Pittarese’s successes at ETSU, including strategic planning, the expansion of academic programs that result in high-demand career opportunities for our students, and faculty recruitment, allowed him to emerge from a field of exceptional candidates. We are certain that we will see more amazing accomplishments by Dr. Pittarese and his team.”

Most recently, Pittarese has helped pioneer a partnership with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee that led to the establishment of the BlueSky Tennessee Institute. The groundbreaking collaboration will provide Tennessee students the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in computing and a job offer from BlueCross in just over two years.

“The opportunity to build a partnership with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee emerged in late 2020 as we were in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. We put together a team of ETSU faculty and developed a format for an accelerated program that allowed us to meet all of BCBST’s strategic employment goals while still retaining our ABET accreditation and program quality,” Pittarese said.

The accelerated degree will provide a new pathway into one of the fastestgrowing careers in the country by developing much-needed technology talent to then prepare the next generation of technology leaders in fields such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, data analysis, health care information systems, and more.

“Giving students the ability to earn a full undergraduate degree in just 27 months accelerates them into their careers faster,” said Pittarese. “The BlueSky Tennessee Institute gives us the amazing responsibility to reach out to underserved student populations with the opportunity to earn a college degree at no cost to the student and with the guarantee of a job offer upon graduation thanks to the great support of our partner.”

Pittarese also developed partnerships with Eastman Chemical Company, IBM, and other external organizations in support of research activities, academic program development, and student recruitment.

“BlueSky is an example of the type of partnership that I would like to replicate with more businesses throughout the region,” he said. “The College of Business and Technology can enable companies to address workforce needs while creating exciting career opportunities for ETSU graduates. It is a win for our students, a win for businesses, and, more broadly, a win for our region as we keep great talent here at home.”

He also created the plan for ETSU’s acquisition of the Millennium Center, which houses the Niswonger Digital Media Center and an area dedicated for courses taught by the Department of Computing. Within the college, Pittarese has been involved in a number of strategic academic initiatives, including the establishment of bachelor’s programs in cybersecurity/modern networks and information systems.

“I regularly tell our people that I believe the most important word in the name of our college is the ‘and.’ There are many exciting educational opportunities that come from bringing business and technology together,” said Pittarese. “One great example is our MBA program with a concentration in cybersecurity management. CBAT graduates are well equipped to meet current and future career demands.”

Prior to his move to Johnson City, Pittarese held the chair’s position for the Department of Computer Science at Pensacola Christian College, where he also served as a faculty member for 15 years. He earned his doctoral degree in computer science and software engineering from Auburn University. He was awarded his Master of Science in computer science and software engineering and his MBA in management and marketing from the University of West Florida. Throughout his career, he has received multiple outstanding service and faculty awards.

The College of Business and Technology is ETSU’s second largest college, with more than 150 faculty and staff in seven departments and an undergraduate and graduate enrollment exceeding 2,800.

Yasmeen Elayan is Marketing and Communications Specialist in ETSU’s Office of University Marketing and Communications. | Photo by Charlie Warden

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