Information Technology Minor - Recruitment Celebration for Women
Although IBM and Microsoft may be archrivals in the corporate computing marketplace, on Wednesday, April 5, they will join together on campus in support of an initiative dear to each of their corporate hearts: encouraging more women to pursue technology-related education. Along with Boston-based Liberty Mutual, they are the major sponsors of an event that will showcase the variety of opportunities available to women from all majors who also have expertise in information technology (IT). The event is part of an effort to enroll more women in the interdisciplinary IT Minor, nationally acclaimed for its flexible curriculum that accommodates the interests of each student.
The event will feature a moderated panel discussion of women with different perspectives on IT: faculty with research interests in IT or who teach courses for the IT minor, current and former IT minor students, and industry representatives. Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions of the panel and will be able to talk informally with individual panelists during the last 20 minutes.
Organizers hope to attract women who might not see themselves in an IT minor, but who are curious about learning more. Prizes donated by the sponsors will be distributed, including a drawing for a ViewSonic Color PocketPC and an iPod and door prizes will be given to the first fifty participants.
Antonio’s Gourmet Pizza, Italian Ice, and beverages will be served to participants.
The flexible IT minor curriculum encourages students to develop their own interests in IT in a way that complements their majors. Students choose six courses from a set of over sixty, and advising is available to help students pick the best courses for them. Currently, women comprise approximately 40% of IT minor enrollment. These women report high levels of satisfaction with the IT minor and consistently credit the IT minor with helping them find interesting work. However, a study last year conducted by an IT minor student suggested that many female students on campus had narrow preconceptions about IT and the IT minor, so they never considered enrolling. This panel is designed to address this by showcasing the many perspectives on IT that women in our greater campus community have, such as art, healthcare, new media, political science, finance, and education. And, by highlighting the many ways these women contribute, organizers hope female students will become inspired to develop their own information technology interests.
