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FSU computer science feeds job pipeline
Computer science program at FSU addressing critical state requirements
Apr. 27, 2014
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Aranya Ajith is busy working inside of FSU's computer science lab with other students. FSU's thriving computer science
department has students getting jobs the moment they graduate. / Mike Ewen/Democrat
Written by
Doug Blackburn
Democrat senior writer
FILED UNDER
If Florida Gov. Rick Scott wants a can’t-beat-this example of what
he wants higher education to do — graduate students and help
them land good-paying jobs — he need look no further than the
computer science department at Florida State University.
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The fast-growing department pays for itself, thanks to federal and
state grants secured by the 17 tenure-track faculty. Many of its 600
plus students pay little or no tuition, as a result of scholarships that
those grants provide.
Almost every student in the program has a job before he or she has
even walked across the stage at the Civic Center to receive their
diploma. And it is the “T” in STEM, properly crossed.
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Penny Kincannon, the chief information
officer at Florida Department of Law
Enforcement, is keenly aware of how
important FSU’s computer science program
is to her — and the state’s — urgent needs.
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5/14/2014
FSU computer science feeds job pipeline | Tallahassee Democrat | tallahassee.com
Page 2 of 3
This spring, she worked with Robert van Engelen, chair of FSU’s
department for the past three years, to establish 14 paid internships
at FDLE and four other state agencies beginning this summer.
“There’s a tremendous demand for IT (information technology)
professionals. Computer science graduates can pretty much work
where they want to work, do what they want to do and say how
much they’re going to get paid,” Kincannon said. “It’s a big enough
issue that we need to be looking at how we partner with our
universities to try and solve it. This is a problem that really hasn’t
gotten too much attention.”
Van Engelen, a native of Holland who came to FSU in 1998, is
understandably proud of how his department has grown while
continuing to cover its costs and securing internships and
employment for its students.
“Information security and homeland security are very hot topics
these days, and many of our students are focused in these areas.
There’s a strong relationship between computer science and
security,” van Engelen said. “Our placement of students is perfect,
or almost perfect. Our students will find a job before they graduate.”
Tallahassee native Clark Wood is a prime example. The Maclay
School graduate went to University of Florida for his undergraduate
degree, and later this week he will also have a master’s in
computer science.
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5/14/2014
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5/14/2014