Message from the Chair

Our vision is to be a recognized leader in software engineering, computer science, and computer engineering that produces graduates that have gained the technical background and vision to be leaders in defining the future of computing and information technology. This vision includes broadly integrating computing and information technology into education for all students and into research and scholarship for colleagues across the university and achieving national recognition in software engineering. We are Pioneering New Frontiers” in computing and informatics.

The faculty have identified core competencies for the department that include software engineering, grid and pervasive computing, informatics, and theory and artificial intelligences. Faculty have aligned themselves with one or more of these areas so that each area has a critical mass of expertise that can be leveraged to pursue new opportunities and to enhance existing research thrusts. The Department currently has 22 faculty with 8 full professors, 6 associate professors, and 8 assistant professors. Seven of these faculty have won NSF CAREER awards.

The past two years combined, the Computer Science and Engineering Department has graduated 112 BS computer science, 58 BS computer engineering, and 79 MS computer science and 9 PhD computer science students. The Department had 525 undergraduate majors and 145 graduate students during the 2003-04 academic year.

This past summer we moved into the newly remodeled Avery Hall that provides much needed space for many of our activities. Since the planning for Avery Hall began in 1995, the reality of the move was filled with excitement and anticipation after waiting for so many years. Avery Hall turned out fantastic; it has an academic elegance that is sure to provide students, faculty, and staff with an environment that is compelling for learning and research and that will be cherished in the future.

We look forward to learning the “building dynamics” of Avery Hall and how it will positively impact the education, research, and interaction culture for students, faculty, and staff in Computer Science and Engineering. I would like to thank you for your continued interest in our Department, and encourage you to visit our beautiful new home.

Dr. Rich Sincovec, Department Chair