Debating Innovation: A New Home for Computing, Data, and Applied Sciences

On September 22, 2022, the College of William and Mary revealed its intentions to explore a new school for computing, data, and applied sciences. The announcement comes at a time when technology is the buzzword of the century, with the College seeking to cement its place as a data-driven destination for higher education.

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The College of William and Mary holds itself to an incredible standard: a public research institution functioning within a liberal arts framework. The College takes great pride in its faculty-student relationships, vibrant campus community, and culture of innovation. Nowhere are these pillars on fuller display than with the upcoming establishment of a new computing, data, and applied sciences school.

Steeped in tradition, the College remains closely aligned with the liberal arts. Within the Commonwealth of Virginia, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech tend to reign supreme in STEM-related fields, while the College overtakes both in faculty excellence. Rising demands for data-focused education, both at the state and federal levels, have prompted a new approach. And with fears looming over the fast-approaching demographic cliff — the period post-2008 associated with fewer births — the College seeks to make itself more competitive to attract high school students.

Professor Evgenia Smirni, Chair of the Computer Science department, discussed how conversations on developing the school began.

“The Computer Science department went to the Provost ... and we talked to her about creating a school for computing and whatever else,” Smirni said. “And she was very receptive to the idea. And then, the pandemic hit. We had other more important things to deal with, so everything went to the back burner, but discussions began again last spring.”

To begin pondering these possibilities wasn’t entirely unexpected — the number of students graduating with degrees in computational fields has grown exponentially in the past decade. Four computational programs were added to the College from 2011 to 2021, more than doubling student enrollment in these majors. Furthermore, Data Science became a major in 2020, and the Commonwealth selected the College for funding to enhance the program mere months later. 

These enrollment trends, combined with the growing pressures of competing in a data-driven world, drove faculty to vote in April 2021 on departmental status for Data Science. The program currently resides within the Computer Science department. The presenters argued that having a department would allow it to grow more effectively and incorporate the liberal arts better than peer institutions — both inside and outside of the Commonwealth.

“Looking into our ‘Public Ivies’, there are only two places that [do not have a] school of computing or school of engineering,” Smirni said. “And these places are UNC and William and Mary. So the trend is there, and that’s where the world is going.”

After their presentation, the floor opened for questions — many were raised. Some focused on funding for new faculty; starting salaries for data scientists soar above what professors typically make. And at a time when the College didn’t have excess money to spend — even with state funding — establishing a department seemed improbable. Another point of contention was the rush to establish a Data Science department before other programs that had existed for much longer. What made Data Science special in this regard, while other programs, such as International Relations and Public Policy, had to be restrained? 

With the meeting closing, a vote on the department began. The motion failed, with 38% of attendees voting in favor, 45% against, and 17% abstaining.

Despite lukewarm feelings toward a new academic division at the College, upper administration and select faculty members continued discussing its possibility. Vision 2026, unveiled at Charter Day in February 2022, highlights a data initiative pledging to expand the College’s presence and influence in computational fields. An action item included the establishment of a new program focused on computational and data engineering, yet at the time, did not go so far as to suggest the establishment of a new school.

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The message changed in September 2022 when Provost Peggy Agouris presented the College’s exploration of a new school in computing and data sciences to the Board of Visitors. The material presented came from Smirni; Professor Eric Bradley, Chair of the Applied Science department; and Professor Anthony Stefanidis, Director of the Data Science program, who spent the previous semester planning with a few other faculty members. Agouris spoke of how better-organized programs would help the College’s relationships at both the state and federal levels by soliciting donations and collaborating with other institutions and like-minded organizations.

Smirni added that the growing popularity of the Computer Science department has put significant constraints on her ability to meet the interdisciplinary aspirations of her students.

“We will have the ability to serve our student population, for example, like the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing. They have a joint degree between the School of Computing and English on digital narratives. Now, if English comes to me and says, ‘Hey, let’s join forces and let’s do this kind of thing’... I can hardly meet my own needs. I can’t do that,” said Smirni.

However, possibilities for cross-departmental collaboration finally seem feasible. While the growth in student interest in computational sciences at the College aligns with national trends, the increases in faculty lag. With the creation of a new school, the faculty size could grow to meet national expectations.

Along these lines, recruitment presents another factor in the push for the new school. Obtaining faculty without a distinct division for computational sciences troubles Smirni, especially when the current facilities for Computer Science are less than ideal.

“We feel like after we make them an offer, and they’re all ready, we are almost embarrassed to show the building,” Smirni, whose department resides in McGlothlin-Street Hall, said. “They go to all these other interviews in truly snazzy buildings, and then they’re like, ‘Oh, you’re telling me all these great things ... here?’”

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Smirni’s facilities will change upon completing Phase IV of the Integrated Science Center, which will also house Mathematics, Kinesiology, and Design/Engineering. With an estimated finish date of August 2025, Smirni hopes that McGlothlin-Street Hall will be sufficient for the next few years. 

“Our building, it’s just awful,” Smirni said. “And this is what I tell my faculty and students: it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

Recruitment also comes into effect with graduate students, whose research is crucial in retaining undergraduates.

“When it comes to research in Computer Science, and the same thing in Data Science, it is absolutely necessary for good undergraduate instruction,” Smirni said. “Why? Because these fields change so fast. And this change is dramatic. So, a stronger graduate program is absolutely necessary for a healthy and strong undergraduate program because you have to incorporate the latest and greatest in our classes. And that’s what we do.”

A third argument for creating an autonomous unit is to better solicit funding for the programs. Establishing a school for computing, data, and applied sciences shows the College’s institutional commitment to advancing STEM education. This pledge will give the College leverage in establishing relationships with regional and nationwide donors and data-based organizations and, as Smirni indicated, put the College on equal footing with peer institutions.

The College’s faculty who are against the new school are not anti-data-driven education; instead, they are wary of how the school openly announced its intentions without meaningful faculty consultation. These sentiments were on full display in an open letter from faculty, published four days following Agouris’ meeting with the BOV. 

“Over the past few years, William & Mary has faced enormous challenges,” the faculty wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic, concern over financial stabilization, and changes in public attitudes toward higher education have all created the need to rethink the missions and values of William & Mary. During this time, we have seen a disturbing tendency to centralize decision-making and exclude meaningful faculty participation in setting the direction of the institution.”

Decreasing shared governance in decision-making, specifically regarding Vision 2026, was a hallmark concern along with administrative turnover. Within a month, Dean Donoghue Velleca and former Chief Operating Officer Amy Sebring announced their departures, raising concerns about a lack of insight into the status of the College’s administration. And with a vacuum in upper-level decision-makers, the faculty — especially those that stay at the College beyond the tenure of a single administration — asserted that they ought to have more of a presence in planning for the future.

Out of the letter’s 219 signatures, only four came from the Computer Science department: three Computer Science professors and one Data Science professor. Smirni was not one of them, noting the innate concerns raised by faculty regarding the rising frequency of administrative turnover.

“Any change in administration, in organization, the change is met with a lot of reluctance from people,” Smirni said. “This is something which is actually, I’d say, expected, that’s very normal. People are just like, ‘Okay, how is this going to affect me?’”

Outside of the open letter, faculty have raised similar concerns to those brought up in April 2021 about the development of a new school in computational sciences: money. How would the College fund a new cohort of Data Science professors when their starting salaries are higher than those of the existing faculty? And how will this disparity affect existing programs in other fields?

The College’s intentions on expansion may already be coming at a cost to non-STEM departments. On Feb. 8, 2023, Acting Dean of Faculty for Arts & Sciences Suzanne Raitt notified faculty of the discontinuance of the German Studies major. The College based its decision on declines in student demand.

“The German Studies faculty is, as you can imagine, deeply dismayed by this unprecedented move by the administration to delete a major that adds so much to MLL [Modern Languages & Literature] and to the college humanities curriculum,” the German Studies faculty wrote in an email to their students.

The College contracts many consulting firms for various campuswide projects, sometimes with a hefty price tag. Faculty noted their dwindling inclusion in critical decisions made by the College, highlighting the administration’s increasing reliance on firms. 

The combination of continuously hiring outside consultants and the gutting of the German Studies major led to discussions among faculty and students about the College’s prioritization of advancing certain projects at the expense of other departments, particularly those in the humanities.

But Smirni ensured faculty from all disciplines that a new school in computational sciences will encourage participation from as many departments that express interest and that the College’s liberal arts core will not deteriorate.

“There’s this fear of, ‘Oh my God, if we’re moving into the new school, what is going to happen to the liberal arts education?’ Nothing is going to happen to the liberal arts education because this is the William and Mary brand,” Smirni said. “Actually, it will help us serve better [and] build a better liberal arts education because we will still have the core curriculum. We will still have the double majors ... I think that’s what makes them great.”

Since Agouris met with the BOV, she has formed a steering committee to revise the current draft of plans for the new school. A significant amount of work is still needed before institutional changes ensue. Still, excitement grows among the computing sciences community about the growth they will see once the exploration becomes a reality.

“We have such great things at William and Mary, and we can make it better,” Smirni said. “So, I’m optimistic. I see these other schools that have it. Why not us? Why should we be left behind? We shouldn’t.”

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