The Department of Computer Science completed its second academic year as a separate department within the College of Engineering. Operating the Department in a time of growth has presented many challenges. The major challenges were to:

	Host  the visit and review by the Computer Science Accreditation Board
	Implement  the Master of Science degree in Computer Science
	Commence  funded research activities
	Advise  over 350 undergraduate and 50 graduate students
	Develop  a coherent management and planning system

The Department successfully hosted a visiting review team from the Computer Science Accreditation Board. The visitors commented favorably on the program. Feedback provided after the visit provides the expectation that a favorable recommendation will be received during summer, 1994.

The Department received authorization to implement the MS CS degree from general administration in October, 1993. Over 30 students had been admitted under the GEEN designation pending authorization to grant, following the program of study approved by University of North Carolina General Administration. A system of Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants was put in place, complete with review and evaluation processes, along with the formation of a departmental graduate committee. Dr. David Bellin was appointed Director of Graduate Studies in the department.

To advise students, the Department refined its mentoring strategy. Students were divided among the faculty members, and a weekly colloquium meeting was initiated to share information relative to university information, job opportunities, research progress, and computer and professional skill enhancement. In addition, students make private appointments with their faculty mentors for the purpose of discussing personal challenges.

During the summer of 1993, the Department employed Dr. David Goldstein, Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Arlington.

A coherent management and planning structure was implemented. A weekly meeting of senior department personnel is held, consisting of Dr. Joseph Monroe, Dr. David Bellin, and Prof. Rodney Harrigan. Long range financial planning, departmental goals, student mentoring, and faculty development are major focus topics.

The Department made excellent progress in the acquisition of funded research projects during the year. Research awards totaled $ 800,000. Prospects for next year are positive, with over $ 5,000,000 in outstanding proposals.

II. SUBHEADINGS

A. COMPUTER SCIENCE

1. Enrollment totals, trends, and geographic spread:

Table 1 contains the enrollment data on the Computer Science Program for the past  seven years. Two trends may be noted at the undergraduate level: first, an increased  retention rate as students progress through the program; and second, a large decrease in  freshman enrollments. The first trend is attributed to the effectiveness of the  department's mentoring program. The second trend is attributed to the higher  requirements of the College of Engineering as compared to the Liberal Arts and Sciences,  and to the rigor of a accreditation compliant program. The department intends to make  efforts under the direction of the undergraduate director to reverse the decrease in  freshman enrollment.

Table 1: CS Enrollment & Degree Data

	Enr	Yr						Degr	Conf
Acad Year	1	2	3	4	Total Enrl	Total UG	Total Grad	Bach	MS	PhD
93-94	81	84	88	64	367	317	50	42	n/a	n/a
92-93	198	56	55	58	367	367	n/a	48	n/a	n/a
91-92	158	68	63	52	341	341	n/a	40	n/a	n/a
90-91	121	74	68	50	313	313	n/a	40	n/a	n/a
89-90	128	73	71	38	312	312	n/a	32	n/a	n/a
88-89	127	89	52	41	309	309	n/a	54	n/a	n/a
87-88	166	83	63	40	354	354	n/a	50	n/a	n/a

2. Identification and solution to instructional  problems:

The Department identified implementation of the new  Undergraduate Colloquium as an instructional problem, and spent the Spring semester  identifying potential solutions to enhance the mentoring aspects of the colloquium. Next  year, we will implement solutions.

3. Innovations in teaching:

The  Department has made a concerted effort to actively involve the students in the learning  process. We have the students do more discussing, presenting, and writing in all of our  courses. Students made presentations in the Undergraduate Colloquium. Students led several  graduate colloquium meetings, including presentations on two CASE tools donated to the  University, internet resources, and computer purchasing and maintenance.

Student project teams play a central role to several courses in the undergraduate and  graduate programs, particularly in the Software Engineering concentration.

4. Significant changes in the curricula or new programs  approved:

As stated earlier, the most significant change was the approval of the MS CS by the  system-wide Board of Governors in October, 1993. This approval has added significant  intellectual depth to the department, and has resulted in graduate Teaching Assistants  working closely with entering freshmen taking our first year sequence of COMP 160 and COMP  165.

Part of the change begun last year in the introductory courses was a shift in our  primary programming language from Pascal to C and C++. Along with this change, we  increased the number of credits to 4 and added a recitation section to the first year  courses. The recitation and labs are typically led by a graduate Teaching Assistant.  Workshop and teaching materials were developed for these graduate students to use.

The department had added a requirement of third semester Calculus last year to enhance  the theoretical foundations and mathematical background of our students. Due to changes in  content, this year we replaced that course with Differential Equations (Math 331), after  discussion with the Math department.

6. Efforts to improve academic advising:

We have adopted and strengthened our mentoring program. Each student is assigned a  faculty "mentor" upon declaring Computer Science as a major. A peer advisor,  paid by the department, is associated with each mentor to assist in providing informal  advice at least once each month. These relationships foster a rich social, ethical,  professional, and personal environment.

To emphasize the importance we put on the mentoring effort, the department formed a  "Student/Faculty Mentoring Council" in the Spring. Students elected three  undergraduate and one graduate representative. Staff and faculty representation is also  included. The Council held one meeting and is expected to contribute to the further  direction and development of our academic advisory efforts next year.

The success of our mentoring efforts are reflected in an increasing retention rate of  undergraduate students, and larger number of students who intend to pursue graduate  studies.

7. Recruitment efforts:

Letter and phone contact with admitted students declaring the CS major is made by  the department chair. The chair and faculty speak to student and professional  organizations off campus about A&T and Computer Science. CS Department Graduate  Handbooks are mailed with a general data sheet to all students who inquire about the MS  program. Finally, a publicity effort has commenced to increase the profile of our  department both locally, regionally, and nationally.

8. Major public service and/or off-campus activities:

Faculty presented papers at national and regional professional meetings

Faculty served as editors of professional publications

Faculty presented tutorials at national professional conferences

Faculty engaged in exchanges with industry regionally

9. Grants and awards received:

A. $ 375,000 - Department of Defense

B. $ 200,000 - International Business Machines, Software Solutions - Cary Laboratory

C. $ 125,000 - National Security Agency

D. $ 145,000 - Department of the Army

10. Other developments and/or indications of progress:

The visit of the Computer Science Accreditation Board and the continuing demand for  our graduates are our best indicators of progress.

B. Students

1. Honors received by majors and graduates:

All the GEM fellowships received at A&T this year where awarded to students in  the Computer Science department.

2. Scholarships and fellowships received by graduates:

A. Travis Hayes: NASA Summer Research Fellowship

B. Rolanda Clay: NASA Summer Research Fellowship

C. Torrez Harris: McNair Research Award

D. Ronald Leak: Champion Inc. Summer Internship

E. Adam Hudson: Champion Inc. Summer Internship

F. Angela Gooding (MS student): Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena CA, Summer Research  Fellowship

G. Siddiq Abdullah (MS student): NASA Space Graduate Research Fellowship

H. Hope Harley (MS student): GEM Doctoral Study Fellowship

I. Kelsaw Link: GEM Graduate Study Fellowship

J. Audra Foster GEM Graduate Study Fellowship

3. Number of honor graduates:

The department had 72 honor students (undergraduate) and 42 graduating seniors. Of  the 42 graduates, 12 graduated with honors.

4. Activities of organized student groups including civic and social work:

The UPE computer science honor society was established this year. 29 students, and  all faculty, were inducted as members.

5. Other activities and accomplishments:

A. Department Programming Contest, Spring semester

C. Follow-up Study of Graduates

1. Number of majors: 317

2. Names of graduates receiving job offers:

Christopher Cobb, Shena Coley, Vincent Fleming, Vernon Garland, Leonard Griffin,  Laura Harrison, Kirkland Hicks, Andre Hopkins, Keith Scott.

3. Names of companies and agencies making offers:

Data General, BNR,  Freddie Mac, IBM, TI, US Air Force, E Systems, Hughes, AT & T, US Army.

Dr. David Bellin, Associate Professor  1993-1994

Examples of Professional Growth:

Attended Association for Computing Machinery, Computer Science Conference, Phoenix  AZ.

Attended Conference on Software Engineering Education, San Antonio TX.

Attended Conference on Object Oriented Systems, Programming and Languages, Washington  DC

Contributing Editor, Computer Science Syllabus magazine.

Consulting Editor, Higher Education Product Companion.

Steering Committee, National Science Foundation Project-Impact, Computer Science Ethics  Curriculum project.

Expert Reviewer Database, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

Chair, Public Policy Task Force, ACM SIG Computers and Society

Invited Testimony, federal National Telecommunications Information Agency, re: National  Information Infrastructure.

Attended "Smalltalk Programming" course at Knowledge Systems Corporation  under Title III funding

Presented at "Graduate Workshop on Object Oriented Analysis", NC A& T  State University, December 1993

Proposals prepared and funded:

International Business Machines, Object Oriented Software Engineering research, $  200,000

NSA, Smalltalk Tutorial, $ 47,000

DoD, "A Study of DoD Usage of On-line Information Services", $ 60,000  (equipment)

Research Projects started and/or completed:

Object Oriented Programming in Smalltalk, working with graduate students, Kellogg  Research Initiation grant.

A Smalltalk Programming Tutorial, National Security Agency

Source Code Metrics for Smalltalk, IBM Software Solutions, Cary Laboratory

Generic Object Oriented Software Engineering (GOOSE) Lab, IBM Software Solutions, Cary  Laboratory

Triad Industry Survey of Information Systems Directors

NC A&T Computer Science Alumni Survey

Creative activities started and/or completed:

"The Economic Value of Information", Knowledge: Creation, Dissemination,  Diffusion, December 1993

"CompSci In The Light", CS Department Newsletter

Formed ACM Triad Chapter (elected President)

Presented pre-conference tutorial "An Introduction to Object Oriented  Analysis" to Association for Computing Machinery Computer Science Conference

Selected Local Co-Chair for Participatory Design Conference, Chapel Hill NC

Submitted 5 proposals for tutorials at upcoming professional conferences

Newspaper articles in Greensboro News & Record, Prism, Computer Science Syllabus,  Higher Education Product Companion

Special honors received:

Researcher of the Year, Department of Computer Science

Inducted into UPE honor society

Other accomplishments:

Graduate Studies Director, CS Department

Chair, CS Department Graduate Committee

Chair, CS Department Ph.D. Planning Committee

Co-chair, CS Department Curriculum Committee

Member, CS Department Faculty Search Committee

Member, CS Department Management Committee

Member, EE Department Chair Search Committee

Member, College of Engineering Graduate Committee

Member, College of Engineering CRPT Policy Committee

Coordinator of Graduate Colloquium series

Evaluated and mentored CS Department Teaching Assistants

CS Department representative to University Graduate Council, Graduate School

Obtained approval for CS curriculum implementation, conversion from GEEN courses

Press releases and CS Department publicity

Meetings with corporate university relations directors

Consulted for Public Interest Research Group, San Antonio TX

Consulted for Black Workers for Justice, Rocky Mount NC

 

David Bellin, Ph.D.   Chapel Hill, NC, USA (main base)  Welcome!