IPFW Department of Computer Science
Professional Advisory Board Recommendations
4/10/2015
PAB members present:
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Mike Altendorf
Clifford Clarke
John Dombrowski
Tom Gidley
Steve Gilliam
David Holscher
Jim Kunce
Brent Osborne
Rex Peters
Kim Quintrell
Abby Wilder
Tim Williams
Do It Best Corp.
C2 IT Advisors
Agristats
Navistar
PHD, Inc.
Extension Healthcare
Medical Protective
Lincoln Financial Group
IBM
Allen County Public Library
Lincoln Financial Group
Logikos
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PAB members continue to be excited about engaging with the Computer Science
Department and look forward to increased interaction with faculty and students. We are
supportive of the department’s efforts regarding the senior capstone project, expansion of
the high school programs and increasing enrollment in the B.A. degree and encourage
further development in these areas.
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PAB members are very interested in establishing cooperative work experiences and
internships for IPFW computer science students. University policies should allow college
credit for such experiences and allow for flexibility regarding student eligibility and learning
objectives.
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The PAB encourages the department to continue to seek ways to expand the breadth and
depth of skills and knowledge covered in the four-year B.S. program by:
o Increasing the number of dual credit courses offered in high schools for grades eleven
and twelve to cover a broader range of CS prerequisites thereby allowing students at the
university level to take more advanced electives.
o Add a junior project to the degree requirements that would be smaller in scope than the
senior project, not industry sponsored (but could involve the PAB) and simulate the
workplace concepts of teamwork, deliverables and quality.
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To further enhance the alignment between the CS curriculum and the needs of the local
community, the PAB would like to create a forum where we could engage with the faculty to:
o Codify a skills taxonomy desired by area employers.
o Identify what, as part of software engineering, are the important and prevalent methods
used by members of the PAB within their companies.
o Discuss new technologies and trends in emerging topics.
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The PAB is concerned high school students lack a basic understanding of CS as a field that
is contributing to a higher turnover within IPFW CS majors. To improve this, PAB members
are very interested in engaging and assisting high schools in any activity that promotes
computer science as a field. Members are willing to go to high schools to speak and offer
site visits to those interested students.
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Provide an up-to-date PAB membership list with contact information on the CS department
web page.