By Kyle Spurr, UM News Service

MISSOULA – Mason Derendinger moved to Missoula eight years ago to study biology and pre-veterinary medicine at the University of Montana. After graduating in 2020, he worked at a Missoula veterinary clinic. 

Through his work as a veterinary assistant and outpatient coordinator, Derendinger discovered he enjoyed finding ways to streamline the business operations. He wanted to learn more about how to modernize a workplace, and that interest led him back to UM. 

“As much as I liked to do that, I didn’t have the skills for it,” Derendinger said. “I realized there are probably a lot of businesses out there that don’t have the expertise to fully leverage the technology that’s available to them.” 

Derendinger enrolled in UM’s College of Business in fall 2022 to pursue degrees in finance and management information systems, one of UM’s highest-earning degrees. His return to UM led to internship opportunities and a full-time job with The Whole Group, a tech-company based in Missoula. 

For the past year, Derendinger has worked as an associate consultant with The Whole Group, while continuing his studies at UM. He appreciates the support he’s received from the College of Business that led him on his new career path. 

“One of the greatest things about the College of Business is the opportunities you are going to have just by saying, ‘yes,’” Derendinger said. 

He credits much of his success to the mentorship received from David Firth, a professor of management information systems. Firth connected him with the leadership at The Whole Group and invited him to partner on an academic paper. 

Firth said he admires Derendinger’s work ethic and hustle to succeed in the technology consulting industry. 

“He has an eagerness to understand how the world works and make it better and more useful for others,” Firth said. “You combine that with intelligence and that’s what you get with Mason.” 

The academic paper that Firth and Derendinger produced focused on how students can use ChatGPT and other generative AI. 

Derendinger developed the framework for the paper, and Firth presented the research at the national Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals conference. It was well-received by attendees, and the conference chair even mentioned the paper in his closing speech. Derendinger then presented the paper to one of Firth’s MBA classes before it was published in an academic journal. 

“I’ve done nowhere near this level of work with an undergraduate student before,” Firth said. 

Direct connections to professors, academic papers and national conferences is part of what drew Derendinger to the College of Business. He also appreciates how each professor stays up to date with the latest needs of employers. 

“We stay on top of it,” Firth said. “We have continuous involvement with local, national and international firms to make sure we understand what they are looking for.” 

Derendinger spent a few weeks last summer in Seattle to complete an internship with KPMG, one of the largest professional service firms in the nation. Derendinger gained valuable experience at the national firm that he brought to his job at The Whole Group. 

Derendinger plans to keep growing his career at The Whole Group and eventually wants to give back to the University the same way as many alumni who become local business leaders. 

“The College of Business faculty are phenomenal and the students are great, but it’s the community that is actively seeking to be involved,” Derendinger said, “and that’s really special.”

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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu