Dr. COLEMAN FURR:
LEADER IN INFORMATION PROCESSING

Coleman Furr has devoted himself to strengthening the stature of information processing as a bonafide profession. He has seen the growth of the computer industry from its beginnings to today's sophisticated level of technology.

In 1946, after service in the U.S. Army, Furr became Manager of Data Processing with The Furr Company, a family-owned grocery business in Nebraska. Furr later joined S and W Fine Foods in San Francisco, and was soon promoted to Director of Operations. When he left S and W to become a consultant to the Government of Puerto Rico, he found that he could not find the qualified data processing personnel he needed to run the complex automated operations. He saw one obvious solution to the dilemma: educate the staff himself. Thus the inspiration for Coleman College was conceived.

Dr. Furr's dream about his school had time to develop as he returned to the United States to become President of International Distributing Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of a major discount retailer. By 1963, Coleman College was born, and with its birth, the Coleman motto "Dreams into Reality" was fulfilled.

As founder and Chairman of the Board of Coleman College, a private nonprofit accredited senior college, he has established the premier information science undergraduate program in the country. In 1974, Coleman College was named by ComputerWorld Magazine as the "Best Data Processing School" in the country.

Through the years Dr. Furr has given freely of his wisdom and experience by serving in various posts, including Commissioner for the Acrediting Commission of AICS (1973 to 1978) and Chairman of the AICS Accrediting Commission (1977). He was Chairman of the Certification Council of the Certificate in data Processing (CDP) from 1979 to 1984, and was a founding member of the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP).

Dr. Furr's involvement in so many vital aspects of his career field provide affirmation of his personal commitment to excellence in education, especially in the field of information science.