MU | F e a t u r e s
The computer industry is expanding rapidly
and MU’s faculty members realize their
program needs to evolve, too, for Manchester
graduates to stay competitive in the job
market. Their program reboot is designed to
enhance student learning and prepare students
to become professional software developers
who produce professional-grade software.
One main goal, says Associate Professor Jim
Brumbaugh-Smith, chair of the Mathematics
and Computer Science Department, is to
connect students to more internship and
networking opportunities in the industry.
Traditionally, Manchester’s program has
focused heavily on programming and theory.
Now, Mitchell and Brumbaugh-Smith are
gearing it toward careers and real-world
application. Mitchell says industry leaders
tell colleges and universities: “We can teach
them our environment. We want you to teach
them to think.” That, says Mitchell, is exactly
what the new curriculum will be designed to
do. Introductory courses will move from a
programming-centric mindset to providing
students more breadth of knowledge. They
will focus on writing, design, collaboration
and problem-solving with computers. Upperlevel courses will be more hands-on.
The philosophy will be, “This is something
you can do. How can you do it?” Mitchell
says. “If you learn something, and you build
something that can do it, then you understand
what you learned.”
This isn’t to say that Manchester graduates
haven’t been successful. To name a few:
• Wesley Rupel ’81, a physics and
mathematics major, was on the
10-person team that originally
developed Microsoft Windows in the
1980s. Today, Rupel is co-founder,
president and chief technology officer
of Allegro Wireless Canada.
• Frederick Balagadde, ’01, a physics
and computer science major, invented
the micro-chemostat, which the Uganda
native hopes will lead to low-cost
disease diagnosis in the developing
world. (Search for Balagadde at
www.ted.com to see his TED talk).
• Abel Mengistu ’11 joined Google last
year as a software engineer.
The program will continue with its
combination of lectures, conceptual
explanation, and hands-on projects. Faculty
will use a hybrid classroom laboratory
experience thanks to the state-of-the-art
technology available in the Science Center
and the newly renovated Academic Center.
Students will interact more with industry
professionals who bring real-world clients and
projects into MU classrooms.
Practical opportunities will expand, too,
through the recent $1 million grant from
Lilly Endowment Inc. The department
is exploring a certificate in educational
technology, which would teach education
students how to develop applications, or
apps, that could be used in their classrooms.
“We want the (computer science) curriculum
to be more integrated with other areas and
make computer skills more applicable,” says
Glenn Sharfman, vice president and dean
for academic affairs. He also wants to reach
students in other majors and help them
become more technologically literate. “We
want students to be able to say, ‘I’ve had
experience in this certain program and can use
that experience in this job,’” adds Sharfman.
12th
Fastest
Computing will be the 12th fastestgrowing industry in the next decade.
12th
The computer industry ranks 12th in
the total number of jobs.
38%
The number of computer jobs is
projected to increase by 38 percent
between 2010 and 2020.
Source: United States Department
of Labor, Employment and Training
Administration
Ultimately, Manchester computer science
students are proud of their education and tell
their friends they don’t need to go to MIT or
Stanford to s Ս