Recruiting Computing Professionals Within the Liberal Arts

Furman University, Greenville SC

Investigators

Abstract

Interdisciplinary (99)-Furman University has had a longstanding dedication to quality liberal arts education. The academic programs and support services at Furman focus on developing highly creative and talented individuals across all disciplines. These programs provide a strong pool of students from which to recruit talented computing professionals. The liberal arts environment is an excellent place to develop and nurture computing skills in students who don't initially see themselves as computer scientists. This project provides a model for recruiting computer science majors through a scholarship program spearheaded in the introductory computing classes and retaining the students through tutoring and career services, research and internship opportunities, and department community-building activities. A total of ten computer science students are awarded three-year scholarships to pursue undergraduate degrees in computing. The objectives of the project are 1) to recruit freshmen and sophomore students to the discipline of computer science; 2) to specifically encourage women and minority students to consider areas of computing; 3) to retain these students through graduation by maintaining their interest in the discipline; and 4) to see these students successfully placed in appropriate jobs or graduate school programs. The intellectual merit of this project is evidenced by the wealth of experience of the PIs in the area of gender issues and support communities within computing and the strength of the liberal arts environment at Furman University for recruiting and retaining computing professionals. After assessing the impact of this scholarship program on the participants at Furman, the broader impact of this program is that it can be a model that is duplicated in other liberal arts institutions.