GSU leads the state in producing graduates in the field of computer information systems. Major corporations such as Wal-Mart, Bank of America, Chevron and Tyson Foods see Grambling as a fertile recruiting ground.

With its long history of producing top-notch educators, Grambling State University graduates historically have been able to flourish through all economic cycles.

Today, GSU’s nursing school and its computer information systems program are positioned to take advantage of a 21st century economy where healthcare and network administrators are in high demand.

Forbes.com recently published a list of its top-10 most recession-proof jobs.

Near the top, at No. 3, were nurses. Network administrators, those who design and manage the physical and technical structure of company websites, email and other communications tools, ranked No. 6.

That’s good news for GSU, which has graduated more CIS students in the past 10 years than any other university in the state. It also bodes well for GSU’s nursing school, as Baby Boomers age and chronically ill patients live longer, thanks to better healthcare.

“The nationwide shortage of IT people is so acute that Bill Gates has gone to Congress on numerous occasions to ask them to reduce the amount of paperwork needed for foreign employees to come to the U.S.,” said Gary Poe, assistant professor of computer information systems at GSU.

Poe said any GSU student who carries a “B” average and above is highly sought-after.

Companies such as Caterpillar, CenturyTel, Tyson Foods and Wal-Mart, among others, have found their way to Grambling in recent years.

During the summer of 2008, Wal-Mart hired five student interns and recently hired three GSU IT graduates. One of them, Network Administrator Martinequa Wilks, 24, said the trust that Wal-Mart has established with the CIS program will help other graduates be successful as well.

GSU’s nursing school has come a long way in a short time, having produced more than 1,000 nurses since it opened in 1983, many of whom are working in Louisiana hospitals and other state healthcare agencies.

In its infancy, the nursing school provided an opportunity for a large number of potential nurses to enroll in a BSN program and offered a solution for an admissions backlog at other state schools. In 1997, the graduate nursing program was established, and today, the program has graduated more than 113 nurse practitioners and 30 nurse educators with master’s degrees.

A recent report by the American Hospital Association suggests an estimated 116,000 registered nurse positions are unfilled at U.S. hospitals and nearly 100,000 jobs go vacant in nursing homes. But GSU is doing its part to fill the void.

Rhonda Hensley, director of the graduate school of nursing, affirms those statistics. “Even in tough economic times, there is a national nursing shortage,” she said. “Having a nursing degree provides a graduate with easy access to the job market these days.”

Nurse practitioner graduates all have been able to find jobs, she said, especially serving rural areas of Louisiana and other areas of the country that have been especially hard-hit in a difficult economy.

“They contribute greatly to [ease the] economic hardships of our day by providing affordable, accessible health care to rural and underserved populations across the country. NPs are known for their cost conservative healthcare delivery approaches,” she said.

Hensley believes GSU’s nursing program is a major asset for the state.

“I am extremely excited to be a part of the graduate nursing program and to see graduates each year becoming advanced practice nurses contributing to the healthcare community in such a positive manner,” she said. “At this point in my career, it is thrilling to open the doors for good nurses to become advanced practice nurses, knowing they will have a positive impact on their communities where they will be practicing.”