DATA

Results from recent student survey presented at town hall

Students

DATA from page 1 MORE AT FLATHATNEWS.COM

During the April town hall, Willis told the committee that students’ top question about the initiative regarded the allocation of funds for the new unit to meet student and departmental demand. Committee member and Sidney P. Chockley professor of computer science Evgenia Smirni echoed Raitt’s emphasis on state funding.

“ ere are funds that exist within the state of Virginia that provide for high demands of degrees, and also for degrees in computer science,” Smirni said. “We have been fortunate enough to receive a signi cant amount of money just for the growth of speci c areas. With this initiative, we would like to be able to take advantage of things like that that the state of

Virginia makes available to all of its universities.”

Raitt also noted the increase in student and industry demand for computing studies.

“Student demand for CSCI courses is high, presumably both for academic interest and because they feel a CSCI degree will position them well in the job market,” Raitt said. “Faculty are eager to increase their external grant funding, work with graduate students and pursue excellent research.” e process of developing a new academic unit began in spring 2022 when Provost Peggy Agouris named an ad hoc design team to consider plans for a new academic school or unit for data science, computer science and applied science. In December 2022, the chairs of computer science and applied science, and the director of data science presented a draft proposal outlining a new computing school.

Agouris dissolved the design team in October 2022, and in 2023, formally named a steering committee composed of faculty members across departments in Arts and Sciences to ne-tune the details of the new “academic unit” after receiving feedback from students, faculty and stakeholders.

According to its webpage, the committee’s goal is to produce a report that outlines di erent models for the new unit, their respective nancial and operational details and considerations for undergraduate and graduate education.