{"id":38,"date":"2011-10-12T13:06:02","date_gmt":"2011-10-12T13:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/sites\/gsm\/?p=38"},"modified":"2014-06-02T14:55:12","modified_gmt":"2014-06-02T18:55:12","slug":"wired-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2011\/10\/12\/wired-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Wired for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jovanovic’s Work in Software Engineering could ‘Influence Everything’<\/h3>\n

\"wiredSuccess\"<\/a>In the 1960s, life in Yugoslavia as Vladan Jovanovic knew it was very simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy childhood memories are happy \u2013 the people were friendly and the streets were safe for children. Growing up, we were free of most material possessions (including TV, refrigerator, car, washing machine, etc.) that left more time for playing outdoors with other children, and for me, reading whole libraries literally,\u201d said the College of Information Technology (CIT) professor. \u201cIt was obvious for school children that self-reliance is the only way to make any progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

These learning experiences led to Jovanovic\u2019s career progression in the field of software engineering, proving that the common thread of technology can successfully connect across continents.<\/p>\n

Jovanovic\u2019s interest in the field of software engineering was piqued after studying the accomplishments of his role model Nikola Tesla, a remarkable inventor and mechanical and electrical engineer who was an important contributor to understanding electricity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to study software design based upon the intellectual challenges of a field with a potential to substantially influence everything,\u201d he said, \u201cand Nikola was a hardworking, interesting individual who left a big footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"wired2\"<\/a>Through the years, Jovanovic has left his own footprint in the world of technology, earning a doctoral degree in software engineering in 1982 from the University of Belgrade. He also worked as a professor at the university, while simultaneously developing information systems for government, industry and chambers of commerce in his country. While Jovanovic\u2019s professional career was taking off, political unrest was mounting between the Yugoslav republics after the death of President Josip Broz Tito in 1980, causing the country to fall into a series of civil wars.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not involved in the politics of my country, but in building. The country was broken on so many different levels and it was about to be destroyed,\u201d he said, talking about his decision to immigrate to the United States in 1989. \u201cAt the time, Yugoslavia was a federal republic \u2013 nationalist and separatist forces were ruining the peace in the country and I was in the minority as a federalist. I felt that the United States was a place where I could pursue my work in databases and software, because it offered the highest standards in my profession,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n

Jovanovic moved to Michigan and accepted a position with the University of Detroit, where he designed a master\u2019s degree program in software management in 1993 and helped transfer a product design for 21st Century Master Program \u2013 supported by Ford Motor Company \u2013 which is modeled after the training he received at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During this 12-year period, he also taught software engineering to engineers employed by General Dynamics and also improved software testing and design process for the U.S. Army.<\/p>\n

After these professional successes, Jovanovic received an offer to join the CIT faculty at Georgia Southern more than a decade ago, considering this opportunity as a way to contribute even more to his profession. Last fall, the online Master of Science in Computer Science degree was launched, largely due in part to Jovanovic\u2019s concept for the program and the initial proposals that he submitted in November 2001. \u201cThese proposals defined the curriculum and advocated the viability of the degree before it was approved,\u201d he said, acknowledging that the degree program was a joint collaboration between many of his fellow colleagues.<\/p>\n

Since introducing the master\u2019s degree, Jovanovic\u2019s focus has remained the same: striving to make advancements in the field and providing appropriate direction to his students. \u201cI don\u2019t work for honors and awards. I work to make accomplishments in the field,\u201d said the visionary. To that end, he is actively working on an international research program involving students and faculty from U.S. and European universities. \u201cMainly, my accomplishments are in advancing the state of the art and practice in the profession: standardization of systems development, design and design validation techniques and reference models,\u201d he said. Jovanovic has published Engineering a Better Software Organization<\/em>, which is listed among the top 50 software process books and is now in its third edition.<\/p>\n

His research areas include database and data warehouse design, software design, architecture, standards, process, measurement, testing, management and software engineering education. Over the years, Jovanovic has taught courses including introduction to programming, database design, software testing and data warehouse design.<\/p>\n

While the professor still has relatives living in Yugoslavia, he doesn\u2019t regret his decision to pursue technology and new opportunities in the United States. \u201cIt\u2019s a slower pace here \u2013 different, but good,\u201d he said, about his life in south Georgia. \u201cGeorgia Southern is moving forward in the right direction, and I\u2019m happy to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mary Beth Spence<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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