Posted on Nov 10, 2007

Students benefit from job opportunities

California State University, Monterey Bay and the Defense Manpower Data Center have worked together in a variety of ways since 1996. The two organizations recently agreed to continue the arrangement for several more years.

The data center, located in the former Silas B. Hays hospital building on the Seaside portion of Fort Ord, collects, archives, and maintains manpower and personnel data, as well as financial databases for the Department of Defense. In other words, it's the personnel and payroll office for the U.S. military.

Over the years, the data center has provided more than 140 job opportunities for CSUMB students from a variety of academic programs. These positions have supported students in their studies, provided professional experience and often resulted in career employment with the center. The university students have provided DMDC with valuable professional staff members.

In a memorandum of understanding signed recently, the data center and university officials agreed to continue to cooperate on educational, research and service goals, including the internship program. Student interns help the center with computer support and programming, data collection, transfer and storage, network analysis and security of DoD technology.

One project students have worked on involves "smart cards," Defense Department identification cards that contain microprocessor chips. One chip contains a DoD employee's secure digital credentials, serving as a paperless voucher. Millions of the "smart cards" have been issued.

Attachments