In their last semester as students at the University of Delaware, Erica DiFusco and Kathryn Warner, both BE 2001, established the MIS Excellence Fund and Senior Award for Excellence in the MIS Program.

The student-nominated annual award is to be given to a senior in the Management Information Systems programs in the College of Business and Economics for outstanding commitment to "concepts of leadership and teamwork vital to effective management of information systems."

"Every professor I met in MIS was committed to student learning," DiFusco said. "They had 'open door' policies and would even talk to you about job offers. Gloria Diodato, who taught the capstone course, has so much energy and enthusiasm. She really enjoys what she is doing. That's the kind of spirit I found in the MIS program."

"My parents and grandparents always taught me to give back," DiFusco said. "I already had a job, the University was a glorious place and the time seemed right to give back. I wanted to say thank you. I took the idea to Kate, and she said yes without hesitation."

"We were thinking about what we could do to help the program while we were wrapping up the semester and looking ahead," Warner said. She recalls how knowledgeable and up-to-date the faculty were and how the capstone course she took her senior year prepared her for the working world.

"We worked in project-based teams, directly with a client, figuring out the scope of a project," Warner said. "That kind of hands-on experience is applicable to the real world."

DiFusco now evaluates audit-based computer controls for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Philadelphia, and she has already taken her Certified Public Accountant exam.

Warner works for the Vanguard Group Inc., near Valley Forge, Pa. and, in her new job, she has been developing proficiency with Java programming and testing web pages for Vanguard's high net worth clients. She is also preparing for the Graduate Management Admission Test, which she plans to take in December.

DiFusco is confident of the future of the award. "It will grow," she said.