Broadening Participation

Message from the Director of BPC

A computing workforce from many backgrounds, cultures, and identities ensures that future computing products and services will reflect the needs and concerns of all members of our society. Fostering an inclusive climate to enable all students to be able to successfully earn a degree and enter the workforce is important to us. It is who we are. Our industry partners want it too. A major goal and focus of CSE is to increase the percentage of degrees awarded to all groups including women and underrepresented populations in computing, as articulated in our mission statement. We call this focus, following national guidelines, Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC).

BPC activities are made possible with external funding from foundations and industry. CSE received a large grant from the Pivotal Ventures via the Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University for funding evidence-based approaches to attract and retain more women in computing. CSE also receives continual funding for BPC initiatives through its industry partners program – the Computing Partners Program. Companies such as CAE, Johnson & Johnson, JP Morgan Chase, Nielsen, and Raymond James have been strong supporters of BPC activities. We had also received funding from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and advice from the AnitaB.org through its BRAID Affiliate Program.

A key result from our externally funded work has been the development of a BPC plan. The BPC plan has been approved by the CSE faculty and verified by BPCnet.org. Much of what you see on this website is the direct result of the work started by the BPC committee and continued by the CSE faculty, students, front office staff, and advisors. 

I would like to emphasize the importance of our staff and advisors – they are typically the first point of contact for our students (and prospective students). Our advising staff is very focused on BPC in their daily interactions with students and with the development of special programs for populations underrepresented in computing. Our staff have participated in our BPC meetings and have attended the Grace Hopper Celebration, along with faculty and students.

If you want to be part of our BPC success story, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Schinnel Small
Associate Professor of Instruction
Director of Broadening Participation in Computing