About Dr. Gerald E. Wagner and CIS

Dr. Gerald "Jerry" E. Wagner is professor emeritus of Computer Information Systems at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He joined the faculty at Cal Poly Pomona in 1966 and served as the founding department chair of the Business Data Processing Department, later renamed Computer Information Systems. He also served as associate dean and dean of the College of Business Administration, as well as a member of the teaching faculty prior to his retirement in 1999. During his time in higher education, Jerry was involved in curriculum development and was responsible for developing one of the first, if not the first, business-oriented four-year degree programs in Computer Information Systems. He also helped to develop the master's degree in IS auditing at Cal Poly Pomona. He served on the original National Model Curriculum Committee for the Association of Information Technology Professionals (formerly DPMA), and he served as an educational consultant to develop a common body of knowledge for the computer information systems profession.

Dr. Wagner has been active in higher education and the computer field since January 1952, getting his start in the main offices of the Rath Packing Company in Waterloo, Iowa. That was B.C.—before computers. While working at Rath, he was liaison to Univac and helped install the fourth Univac SS-90 installed commercially in the world. While serving in the U.S. Army 96th Machine Records Unit, he was stationed at Armed Forces Far East Headquarters at Camp Zama, Japan. As a systems analyst with Top Secret clearance, he handled all requests from the Pentagon for special personnel reports.

After military service and leaving industry, Dr. Wagner entered university teaching in 1963 and became quite active in many professional associations. He has written numerous computer-related textbooks and articles and has traveled widely as a workshop leader and speaker at conferences and universities throughout the nation. He has served on the educational advisory committees at six community colleges in the Los Angeles area and spent two months in Yerevan, Armenia, as an educational consultant to Yerevan State University, where he was responsible for the development of courses leading to degree programs (both bachelor's and master's) in business administration for the Department of Economics. Dr. Wagner has also worked as a computer consultant to many companies including Datapoint, Freightliner, General Dynamics and Hunt- Wesson Foods.

During his career Dr. Wagner has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise, Educator of the Year, Data Educator of the Year, and Outstanding Educator from different professional associations and universities, and Lifetime Membership for Meritorious Service from the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). In 2011, Dr. Wagner was named AITP-EDSIG Distinguished Fellow for his many contributions.

Dr. Wagner earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in business at the University of Northern Iowa and his doctorate at UCLA. He also holds the CDE, CCP and CISA credentials.

Alumni of the CIS Department established the endowment in 1998 to recognize Dr. Wagner’s leadership and to assist students and faculty in maintaining academic excellence in the classroom.