User:Erictao

Eric Y. Tao, Ph.D.

Director and Professor School of Information Technology and Communication Design (ITCD) California State University Monterey Bay Dr. Eric Yihching Tao has directed the School of Information Technology and Communication Design (ITCD) at California State University Monterey Bay since July 1, 2002. As Director and Chair he is responsible for multimillion dollar annual budgets based on grants from the federal government and the state of California, as well as from donations, and tuition. Dr. Tao is in charge of several academic programs and R&D facilities involving more than 40 faculty/staff members and over 1,000 students.

Since 1998, Dr. Tao has taught and conducted research in information technology, management, e-learning and globalization at CSUMB. He was promoted to Associate Professor and was selected as the Chair of the Department of Communication Science and Technology in 2000. He was awarded tenure in 2002, and promoted to full professor in 2005.

His expertise and research interests include electronic commerce development and strategies, software engineering, information systems, e-learning, and public and business policy. He has published more than twenty-five academic papers in educational technology, globalization, medical image processing and higher education. He often speaks at international conferences on global technology and education and for business and technology programs at various universities.

Dr. Tao has a profound commitment to teaching and the development of scholars. He founded the Masters Program in Instructional Science and Technology and the Masters of Science Program in Management and Information Technology. He also developed several R&D facilities, including the Open System Lab, the E-Lab and CIMGames and has chaired the Academic Senate Technology Committee. Dr. Tao is currently serving as chair to the Postgraduate Studies and Research Committee. He has been on the board of such organizations as the CSUMB Foundation, the Joint Chinese University Alumina Association of Southern California and the CSUMB Strategic Planning Committee. He participates in the International Education Council and is the founding advisor for the Graduate Student Association at CSUMB. In addition, he has served as external advisor for doctoral students at the University of Maryland, Normal University of Taiwan and the University of South Australia.

Currently, Dr. Tao serves as a member of Substantive Change Committee of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of the six accreditation bodies sanctioned by the Federal Department of Education. He is also Digital Technology advisor for the National Health Research Institute of the Republic of China as well as a member of the board of directors for the CEH Inc. Besides this work, Dr. Tao serves his local community as a member of the Technology Advisory Board of Hartnell College, a community college in nearby Salinas, California.

Between 1987 and 1991, before Dr. Tao joined CSUMB, he worked for RMO Inc as Chief Software Engineer. Then, between 1992 and 1997, he co-founded and worked as CEO of WingTech Corporation, a firm that specialized in industrial and medical image-based inspection systems. An avid public speaker, Dr. Tao also served as the president of Toastmasters - Alhambra Chapter – at this time. In 1993, he was awarded the Phoenix Medal from Toastmasters International for excellence in leadership.

Eric Tao received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Irvine and was awarded the UC Regents Graduate Students Award multiple times. His research in Digital Medical Database systems earned him a multimillion dollar grant from the National Institute of Heath. He received a M.S. in Computer and Information Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a perfect GPA and received a Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Award. His bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering is from the National Sun Yat Sen University. While in college, he served as the president of student government and editor-in-chief of the university newspaper.

Born in 1963 in Taipei, Taiwan, Dr. Tao is fluent in Chinese and familiar with Chinese culture, business and politics. He enjoys tennis, playing piano, snowboarding, Chinese Arts, classic music, movies and sea food. In summer, Dr. Tao travels extensively in the Greater China Region. He resides in Carmel, California.