In the late 1970s, says Dwight Wyse ’68, “I became convinced there was room for a business that could provide software to colleges and universities.” And so he started one, which was rolled into Jenzabar. (Photo by Michael Sheeler)
Fresh out of college, Dwight Wyse ’68 took a job as accounts payable clerk at Eastern Mennonite College about the time the school’s first computer arrived. The year was 1968, and the computer was a massive IBM 1130 that filled up an entire room in the new Science Center.
The computer, purchased with a federal grant, was for academic as well as administrative uses. Wyse, who was a business administration major, was fascinated with computers and found opportunities to work with them whenever he could. “I never had any formal computer training except for two weeks at IBM learning some basic RPG programming,” he said.
Later he attended numerous computer seminars and earned a master of business administration (MBA) degree from James Madison University. From 1974 to 1981, Wyse was EMC’s director of business affairs.
In 1979-80, he spent half of his sabbatical year at the Small College Consortium offices in Washington, D.C. “My role took me to 20-30 colleges, and I saw many of them struggling to integrate computers into their administrative operations,” he said. “EMC was really a leader in the field, and I became convinced there was room for a business that could provide software to colleges and universities.”
Back at EMC, Wyse convinced co-worker Mark Shank, who was computer services director at the time, to join him in starting a company. “With a minimal investment we formed Computer Management and Development Services (CMDS) in 1980 and went from there,” he said. Their first and only employee was Harvey Mast ’80, who stayed with the company through the merger and continues with Jenzabar until this day.
Wyse left EMC the following year to work full time for CMDS. It grew to 160 employees and around 200 customers in 45 states before Wyse sold it to Jenzabar in 2000. (See adjacent article.)
He gives credit to EMC/EMU and its professors and administrators for preparing him to create a business. In particular he points to Delbert Seitz ‘64, who taught Wyse in college and became his supervisor in the business office. Later Seitz was CMDS’s chief financial officer. Wyse also credits the many alumni who came to work at CMDS. “They made our visions and dreams a reality,” he said.
In 2002, Wyse and his son Derek started RecSoft, which produces Campwise software for summer camps and conference centers. “We help them do their registrations, take staff applications, provide donor tracking, book their facilities and schedule meals,” he said. They have about 250 customers.
In 2013 Derek took over the company, and Dwight now works for him. When will he retire? Answer: laughter.
Wyse is married to Sheryl King ’68, who worked for Harrisonburg Public Schools for 30 years as a first-grade teacher, principal and assistant superintendent.