Reply to William and Mary Selects Dean for School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]All I’m getting from this is that W&M is  behind the times and just getting with the program. Colonial Williamsburg is not poised to become a hub for anything STEM-related anytime soon.[/quote]

DP: It's an highly selective undergraduate focused institution--it's aim is not to become a STEM-research hub on the scale of a big research university, but to prepare highly qualified undergraduates.  They have already been doing this very well in the sciences (physics, chemistry, marine sciences are particular strengths) for decades (centuries actually!).  Their recent school of computing has already had exceptional outcomes for undergraduates and this move will push this even further.  They are going to develop students who are broadly well-educated with real STEM strengths.   I don't think of it as "behind the times"--rather they are doing the right thing at the right time .  It's not in W&M's mission to provide the kind of specialized computer science education more appropriate to a tech school so it's good they developed it slowly so it can be a solid, thoughtful approach rather than always retrofitting a cobbled together program.  Different institutions provide different kinds of educational value.  W&M is not of the bootcamp and certification type nor is it of the PhD/post-doc driven research lab type.  STEM undergraduates at W&M will get a solid coherent CS education and be able to be meaningfully involved in faculty research. It's not a zero sum game--this is excellent news for our state and region because we definitely need people with this kind of education. [/quote]

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