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by Sara DeRosier
Anyone who has taken an undergraduate course in computer science can identify with this scene: You walk into class on the first day - assuming you managed to enroll in the first place - and the room is packed, perhaps even standing room only. You want to speak with the professor after class, but by the time you get down to the front of the room, the professor is swamped with students. You might have thought that it was Murphy's law causing your life to go this way, however, the real cause turns out to be a rapid increase in computer science students.
Over the past six years, the number of computer science majors has doubled while the number of faculty has remained the same. There are more than 600 undergraduates and 250 graduate students being taught by 26 full-time faculty.
"There is a tremendous amount of demand for these courses and the number of faculty is limited," says Ahmed Naumaan, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. "The only way we can accommodate that demand is by increasing the size of the class."
Since each classroom has a finite amount of space, the University has decided to increase the computer science faculty by nearly 40 percent. Pending approval by the legislature, seventeen new computer science faculty will be added to the department.
Approval by the legislature might come easier than finding qualified faculty to fill the positions. In addition to competition from other schools, the University must also compete with a rapidly expanding private sector that offers more salary, more benefits and, often - this is Minnesota after all - warmer climates.
"Even though they have the qualifications, the aptitude, and the interest for pursuing an academic career," notes Naumaan, "they may go into private industry because it meets their needs and compensates more generously."
Naumaan adds that finding and reviewing qualified faculty will be "an exhaustive and comprehensive process," but it is essential if the department is to maintain its level of excellence. In spite of overpopulated classes (which are no fun for professors either) the department has done remarkable well. Over the last six years research grants have quadrupled. Seven junior faculty members have won National Science Foundation Awards, and junior faculty member Vicki Interrante received the 1999 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientist and Engineers.
So hold on students and try hard to squeeze into that last seat by the wall. The University is doing all it can, and, as Naumaan states, "technology is part of our lives. It's not going to go back. I don't see the demand for computer science going down."
