You don鈥檛 see a LinkedIn page like Mike Chapple鈥檚 every day. : Air Force computer scientist, C-suite professional, cybersecurity author, university administrator.
Now听Chapple leads the Notre Dame in Chicago, where he shares insight on optimizing the intersection of business and analytics. And he鈥檚 a perfect example of someone whose career has evolved by adapting to changes in technology and meeting the corresponding challenges.
Here, Chapple discusses his background and vision for the MSBA.
What appealed to you about the MSBA directorship?
The听MSBA is exciting because it focuses on an important, growing area. Organizations are poised to achieve tremendous value through analytics in the next few years because of the confluence of three factors: we now have large amounts of data available to us, the storage capacity to maintain it, and the computing power to process it. Combined, these factors are driving the business analytics revolution, and it鈥檚 exciting to be a part of it!
How did you become interested in computers and analytics?
滨鈥檝别听always been interested in math, engineering and technology. I had a Commodore 64 as a kid and that鈥檚 how I learned to program in BASIC. From there, 滨鈥檝别 just always adopted new technology at every stage of my life, education, and career. It鈥檚 my passion.
What was your career path?How did you become interested in computers and analytics?
滨鈥檝别听always been interested in math, engineering and technology. I had a Commodore 64 as a kid and that鈥檚 how I learned to program in BASIC. From there, 滨鈥檝别 just always adopted new technology at every stage of my life, education, and career. It鈥檚 my passion.
I studied computer science with a focus on cybersecurity. After graduating from Notre Dame, I was assigned to the National Security Agency as an Air Force intelligence officer. While I was there, I had the opportunity to get involved in the early days of the data science field by applying statistical modeling techniques in the then-emerging field of cybersecurity.
From there I went to a marketing firm as executive vice president and chief information officer. In that role, I had the pleasure of working with a wide variety of firms in both the pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods industries. Our primary focus was on the development of strong brands and I specialized in marketing research, applying analytic techniques to create value for our clients.
滨鈥檝别 been back at Notre Dame for the past 12 years, in a variety of roles in both information technology and the administration. Throughout that time, 滨鈥檝别 always carved out time to teach undergraduate courses. I love spending time in the classroom!
What does the MSBA program offer to potential students?
The Notre Dame MSBA program creates business leaders who are able to bridge the two worlds of data science and business. We help our students develop an analytics mindset, learn the tools and techniques of data science, and understand the ethical considerations facing analytics leaders.
We听do this in a format that鈥檚 accessible to working professionals. We offer classes on Fridays and Saturdays twice a month at our downtown Chicago campus, combined with several residencies in South Bend. Notre Dame faculty travel to Chicago to teach courses in their areas of expertise and we also provide our students with the opportunity to learn from Chicago-based business leaders.
This format provides a great advantage to our students 鈥� they can continue working in their full-time jobs while they鈥檙e working on their master鈥檚 degree. In 12 months, they complete the program and are ready to put their new skills to work.
Contact Mike Chapple at mchapple@nd.edu
Originally published by at on September 27, 2017.