Faculty/Staff Directory

Ramez Abi-Akar

Ramez Abi-Akar

Ramez Abi-Akar
Title: Director, Computer and Information Science
Dept: Computer and Information Science
Office: 122
Phone: (309) 692-4092 x1220
Fax: (309) 692-3893
Email: rabiakar@midstate.edu

Mailing Address

Midstate College
Attn: Ramez Abi-Akar
Director, Computer and Information Science
411 W. Northmoor Road
Peoria, IL 61614

Classes

Office Hours

Course Location Time
General My office M,W 9:00am–10:30am
General My office Tu,Th 1:30pm–3:00pm

Biography

Born in Lebanon and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the Lebanese University, Beirut, I moved to USA in pursuit of a doctorate degree in Computer Science. I earned a PhD degree from The University of Alabama in Huntsville, then moved to Illinois in a series of teaching and industrial jobs.

I keep ties with folks and friends, back in Lebanon, and I am proud of my Lebanese heritage. My hometown, Peoria, has a large gathering of the Lebanese-American community.

In my leisure time, I am a savvy Backgammon player. I am member of local club and I participate in local, regional and national tournaments.

Education

  • PhD, 1992
    University of Alabama in Huntsville

    Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science

  • Masters of Science, 1986
    University of Alabama in Huntsville

    Computer Science major and a minor in Mathematics

  • Bachelor of Science, 1979
    The Lebanese University in Beirut

    Mathematics with a minor in Physics

Work Experience

  • State Farm Insurance Companies, Corporate Office, Bloomington, IL (1997–2008)
    Test Analyst_Technical + Virtual Test Developer + Data Processing Specialist over years

    My last position was in the "Testing Function", the main function within the company's massive "Systems Division". Responsibility was to plan, script-develop, and execute tests on software applications the company departments develop or adopt. For years, a central part of my testing responsibility focused on scripting intricate programs which put to work a mass of "virtual users", whose purpose is to simulate thousands of clients utilizing the company's Internet services.
    In earlier years, I worked on developing new software for both insurance and financial purposes.

  • Illinois Central College (Peoria, IL) (1996–1997)
    Adjunct-Assistant Professor of Computer Science

    Additional part time teaching of Computer Science courses in evenings and weekends

  • Bradley University (Peoria, IL) (1995–1997)
    Assistant Professor of Computer Science

    Teaching courses in the Computer Science department, covering graduate and undergraduate levels. Courses included: Compiler Design & Construction; Introduction to Software Engineering; Programming Languages: Techniques & Principles; Software Development with Object-Oriented Programming; Theory of Computation (a.k.a Automata Theory); Data Structures with C++.

  • Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL) (1994–1995)
    Assistant Professor of Computer Science

    Teaching undergraduate level courses in the Computer Science Department

  • University of Alabama in Huntsville (1990–1994)
    Full Lecturer of Computer Science

    Teaching undergraduate level courses in the Computer Science Department while working on my doctorate degree