 Shown are luncheon speaker Dr. Laurie Novak, an alumna of Murray State University. She received the Nathan B. Stubblefield Distinguished Lecture Series award from MSU President Dr. Randy Dunn (left) and MSU Provost Dr. Gary Brockway. MURRAY, Ky. — The Patterns of Distinction Conference, hosted by the Murray State University Program of Distinction in Telecommunications Systems Management (TSM) is not new to the MSU campus; however, 2009 brought a new flavor to the conference as TSM joined forces with Community Financial Services Bank (CFSB) of Benton, Ky., with their $ecurity Matter$ conference. The Patterns of Distinction-$ecurity Matter$ conference, held on April 2, at MSU brought in more than 200 registered guests from around the region, and speakers and vendors from five states.
Keynote speaker Bradley Lide of Infragard started the day off discussing national and local security of information, businesses and community with the Infragard Community Outreach Program (ICOP). Through this program, Infragard representatives, a unit started by the FBI, educate communities on recognizing suspicious behavior and correctly reporting anything that might be malicious. The rest of the day provided an all-star lineup of business and information network security professionals with attendees choosing between a “business track” and a “technical track.”
Other speakers informed the attendees about information security best practices, policies, and easy steps towards a safe business environment. Dr. Joe Popinski of ie-Dynetics in Huntsville, Ala., talked about user errors that can cause major problems for businesses trying to protect their data. Through his presentation, attendees learned about business recovery in situations where information becomes compromised by people who can and will use the information maliciously.
The fourth annual TSM Awards Luncheon was also held, with MSU President Randy Dunn welcoming participants that included business leaders, MSU administration and staff, students, local high schools representatives, and government officials.
MSU alumna Dr. Laurie L. Novak, MSU alumna, spoke to the group about the piece of the national stimulus package that will be used for biomedical informatics, like the office she works for at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Through this overview of the stimulus expectations, she created a vivid image of the past and present use of information in the medical industry. Novak then showed an overview of the future of medical information, including how individuals sometimes unknowingly “put our information out there” for others to see and use. Novak was also recognized for her presentation by receiving the Nathan Stubblefield Distinguished Lecture Series award.
The lunch was started in 2006 so that the three prestigious TSM Awards could be publicly announced. The first award was the Dr. Gene Wells Ray TSM Lifetime Achievement Award, created for individuals who have exhibited a significant, sustained contribution to telecommunications and/or TSM over their career. The award winner for 2009 was John A. Williams, chairman of the board of directors for Computer Services Inc. in Paducah. Williams has been a significant supporter of the TSM program and continues to provide career opportunities for TSM graduates through his company.
The second award, the Dick Anderson TSM Leadership Award, was given to Allison Willoughby, president of Brandenburg Telephone Company in Kentucky. Since hearing about the TSM program through her role with the Kentucky Telephone Association, Willoughby has strongly supported TSM throughout her region of the state.
The third award, the John A. Williams TSM Entrepreneurship Award, was handed to a local face, Charles (Chuck) Jones. Jones is the CEO of C.A. Jones Management Group LLC and owns companies around the Murray area including DevSource.
Two additional awards were unveiled at the 2009 luncheon including the TSM Distinguished Alumni Award, handed to graduate alum Michael Ramage and undergraduate alum Kent Bohanon. The final new award, the Gary Brockway Faculty/Staff Excellence Award, was a surprise to MSU Provost Gary Brockway and was given to Dr. James Weatherly.
 The day wrapped up with vendor sessions and hands-on labs for attendants to get a feel for real-life information technology (IT) security. Those sessions focused on IT firewalls for the technical track and business continuity through Homeland Security projects that TSM staff and researchers are working on for the business track.
For a wrap-up of the day, go to www.murraystate.edu/tsm/ctsm. Planning for the 2010 Patterns of Distinction has already begun between TSM and CFSB. Smaller events throughout the year, such as a Business Continuity Planning Workshop, may be available to POD guests, so contact Dana Howard at dana.howard@murraystate.edu to be added to the Patterns of Distinction mailing list.
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