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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: September 21, 2017
Georgia Tech’s College of Computing is being recognized for its ongoing efforts to grow diversity in computer science (CS).
During an event held Sept. 21 at the 2017 ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing in Atlanta, the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in IT (CMD-IT) presented College of Computing Executive Associate Dean Charles Isbell with the organization’s first annual University Award for Retention of Minorities and Students with Disabilities in Computer Science.
“We’re tremendously honored to be the inaugural recipient of the CMD-IT University Award for Retention of Minorities and Students with Disabilities in Computer Science,” said Isbell.
“The College of Computing is proud to be one of the country’s top three research universities in graduating underrepresented minority Ph.D. students in the past decade, but we know there is a long way to go and much work to be done. We look forward to continuing our work with CMD-IT and other partner organizations to help computing better reflect the full spectrum of the country.”
The CMD-IT award recognizes U.S. institutions that have shown a commitment to growing diversity, and that have proven results for the retention of students from underrepresented groups in undergraduate CS programs over the last five years.
The award, sponsored by Microsoft, is focused on growing participation and building retention rates in CS programs among the following underrepresented groups: African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and people with disabilities. The honor includes a $15,000 cash prize, which will be used to further the College’s diversity programs.
“Their strong retention programs and the documented results make Georgia Tech’s College of Computing an excellent role model for other universities. The College will be sharing more details of these programs at the faculty workshop at the Tapia Conference,” said Valerie Taylor, CMD-IT executive director.
The CMD-IT award decision was based on Georgia Tech’s impressive quantitative reported results, which reflected high retention and graduation rates, and qualitative reporting on its various retention programs. In particular, the CMD-IT awards committee pointed to four College of Computing programs that directly impact retention and graduation rates of underrepresented students: