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Ohio Wesleyan Joins Statewide Higher Education Initiative to Increase Numbers of Computing Graduates

By Cole Hatcher

DELAWARE, Ohio Ohio Wesleyan University is part of a new National Science Foundation-funded consortium of 15 Ohio colleges and universities created to support students seeking to study computer science, especially women and minorities historically underrepresented in the field.

The $2-million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant is being used to create the five-year Ohio Pathways to Undergraduate Computing Success project, which includes six public community colleges and nine of Ohios independent colleges and universities, including Ohio Wesleyan.

Ohio Wesleyan is excited to help educate more computer scientists, said Karlyn Crowley, Ph.D., provost. Ohio employers are seeking out this expertise, and we are committed to helping them fill this vital need. Over the past few years, OWU computer science graduates have begun careers immediately after graduation at local and national companies, including Facebook, Instagram, and Nike. We look forward to the possibilities ahead.

This new consortium, led by Baldwin Wallace University, will collaborate to recruit and graduate more computer science students through work that includes establishing a shared set of requirements and coursework that makes it easy for students to move from earning two-year associates degrees to four-year bachelors degrees without losing transfer credits or adding classroom time.

Each school also is recruiting industrial partners to take part in an advisory board that will give input on the skills and abilities needed most and provide access to job shadowing and internship experiences. Ohio Wesleyans first industrial partner is necoTECH, which develops eco-friendly building materials to create environmentally sustainable infrastructure. necoTECH is headquartered in the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at OWU.

Ohio Wesleyan and the other consortium members also will work to develop and offer support for women and minority students pursuing degrees in computing fields and to provide faculty development, advisor workshops, and training and recruitment materials for admission counselors.

In addition to Ohio Wesleyan and Baldwin Wallace, the four-year Ohio institutions taking part in the initial consortium are Ashland University, Capital University, Defiance College, Hiram University, Lourdes University, Tiffin University, and Ursuline College.

The two-year institutions involved are Columbus State Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College, Lorain County Community College, Sinclair Community College, and Terra State Community College.

Learn more about transferring to Ohio Wesleyan at owu.edu/transfer and more about studying computer science at OWU at owu.edu/ComputerScience.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nations premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review Best Colleges lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.

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