In these tech-driven times, some knowledge in computer science is a must for any field. Medical researchers use complex algorithms to map genomes and model the living cell, psychologists evaluate information about their patients, and even the exegetical fields use programs to analyze literature like never before. The rise in career opportunities seems to have provoked a surge of interest in Stern students, some of whom are wondering why no computer science major exists despite resources uptown.
In these tech-driven times, some knowledge in computer science is a must for any field. Medical researchers use complex algorithms to map genomes and model the living cell, psychologists evaluate information about their patients, and even the exegetical fields use programs to analyze literature like never before. The rise in career opportunities seems to have provoked a surge of interest in Stern students, some of whom are wondering why no computer science major exists despite resources uptown.No SCW student would be surprised to hear that the root of the problem is financial. But there are other issues at play.
Up until a few years ago, Stern did offer a computer science major, and many computer science graduates from SCW went on to pursue promising careers in the field. However, according to Dean Bacon, Stern students lost interest in the major sometime around 2011. Class attendance rates dropped to one or two girls, so that the major essentially became a tutoring program. Yeshiva University saw the opportunity to cut the costs, but maintained the program on the still interested boys’ campus.
Today, bringing back the computer science major would take more than a revival of interest. According to Professor Otway, math department chair, starting a major requires a dedicated line of money to ensure that there will always be faculty available. Furthermore, finding good computer science teachers is difficult. Dean Bacon commented that few programmers are willing to take time out of successful careers to teach, and fewer still would make capable professors.
Luckily for Stern, fortune recently delivered a very successful and highly acclaimed computer science teacher right into its lap.
Professor Alan Broder came to Stern College last year, commuting from his home in Maryland to teach the Intro, Data Structures, and Linux classes. Chairman of Novetta Solutions and member of the US Homeland Security’s Data Privacy Advisory Committee, Professor Broder has found a respectable following in Stern College, with the number of students in this semester’s classes up to 29. Professor Broder’s passion for computer science brings computer science to life, a subject he has deemed essential to anyone entering the modern job market.
“Actually being able to manipulate data yourself using a programing language is a necessity to being able to do sophisticated work,” Professor Broder said.
He added that for a multitude of reasons, a career in computer science would be ideal for a well-educated Jewish woman.
But Professor Broder is not computer science’s only advocate. Professor Otway called computer science “the most important subject a person can study today, including mathematics.” He sees improvement in the school’s computer science offerings, at least since 2010. “Many of our courses in math are more relevant to computer science than they were 20 years ago and vice versa,” he explained. As for supporting computer science’s future advancement, Professor Otway is on board. “Incorporating computer science is at the top of my agenda,” he says.
Student interest, conversely, is difficult to gauge. While class numbers are certainly up from 2010, Dean Bacon is skeptical that the quantities represent a dedicated computer science following. The more advanced classes, Computer Systems and Linux, have rosters of three and nine respectively. The popularity of a class like Intro to Computer Science could be a result of people simply trying to fulfill their quantitative skills requirements.
Professor Broder sees the flip side.
“I would definitely say that interest in Computer Science at Stern is rising,” he said, adding that many students who initially took the class to fulfill a requirement discovered an interest in the field and have gone on to more advanced classes. While many classes are still small, the growth from last year to this year—as high as fifty-percent for some
courses—is undeniable.
Combining both perspectives gives us a picture of a small but growing population of students interested in computer science as a hobby or a complement to their chosen degree. For those students, the administration seems optimistic. Students can expect an expanded computer science minor involving electives and a potential Web Programming class. Blended classes with Wilf campus and interdisciplinary classes with math also seem to be a way to introduce more computer science opportunities. The best-case-scenario, Professor Broder believes, would be a “bulked-up” computer science minor with a multitude of course offerings.
For the true computer science enthusiasts among us, it’s still a hard road to travel. Given that financial considerations preclude the possibility of a genuine major any time in the foreseeable future, those who really want to major in computer science probably shouldn’t come to Stern. Those that do will have to be satisfied with a few extra classes in graduate school.