The Orion Online

Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: Online Exclusives

Oct. 3, 2008

There's a new student group on campus attracting interest.

The Project Management Group filled Plumas Hall, Room 102 with more than 150 students interested in the new project management major and minor being offered through the College of Business department of management starting next semester.

Five prominent project managers of corporations, including Microsoft and Blue Shield, spoke wonders of the field. All are members of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Project Management Institute.

"I want to know your secret," said Bruce Smith of Moss Adams Consulting, who is also a professor at University of San Francisco. "I'd love to see this many people at our dinner meetings."

The project management field has expanded out of big business and is growing now more than ever, he said.

"One fifth of the world's [Gross Domestic Product] this year will be spent on projects," Smith said. "That's $12 trillion."

He, as the rest of the speakers did, went on to talk about his career and how he ended up in this burgeoning field of project management.

"None of us started with the idea of being a project manager," he said. "I'm not sure I knew the term at your age."

Paul Gilchrest graduated from Chico State 22 years ago. Now he's overseeing a $500 million project for Blue Shield.

"If I knew what I know now, I would have double majored," he said. "I have a major in computer science, but I would have added project management."

Senior Kevin Lusby, a business major, echoed him from his chair near the door where those watching from the hall peered in.

"I would have done P.M. if it was offered earlier," he said.

Department of management chair Jeff Trailer developed the project management curriculum.

"Here are the keys to the kingdom-project management skills open the door to a tremendous unfair advantage for you to have," he said. "Put you up against anyone, and you're incredible because of the social skills you bring."

Trailer is particularly proud of his students' ability to execute tasks combined with the people skills they have-skills that the PMI speakers said with be essential.

"Here's the challenge: understand that project management is not an easy job," said Doc Dochtermann, a project portfolio management specialist for Microsoft. "It's not just about tools and Gantt charts. It's about people and convincing senior execs to employ these techniques."

The Project Management Group, formed in spring earlier this year, has eight members, but after Wednesday night it's apparent it will have more soon. The group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in Glenn Hall, Room 123, and it is constructing a Web site at www.csuchico.edu/pmg.

"We are excited to make this connection with PMI and we look forward to more successful project management forums in the future," said Lani Bettis, President of Project Management Group.

Trailer ended the discussion with a simple reasoning for the potential recruits to get more involved in project management.

"You're all ready here at one of the most socially apt places, probably on the planet," Trailer said. "Why not put it together with project management skills?"

Bryce Benson can be reached at bbenson@theorion.com

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