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Computer Science: Strategic Partners Council

Mission

The mission of the Calvin University Department of Computer Science’s Strategic Partners Council is threefold:

  1. Under-Represented Groups. Help Calvin’s CS department improve the representation of under-represented groups — especially women — in departmental programs.
  2. Pre-Professional Preparation. Help Calvin CS juniors and seniors prepare for life after Calvin through mock interviews, internships, field trips, and other experiences.
  3. Program Review. Help Calvin’s CS department by regularly reviewing the educational objectives of the department’s academic programs.

The council meets quarterly to pursue this mission, and consists of individuals selected from the various professional constituencies that the department serves.

Membership

We thank you for your service!

50% Initiative

In 2013, the council established the 50% Initiative, a program designed to address the shortage of technical talent and increase gender diversity in the technology sector, starting with Calvin's CS department. The program follows two strategies:

  1. Special scholarships for female CS majors, to encourage young women to enter the CS pipeline, see examples at: Computer Science Scholarships and Awards.
  2. Attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, to encourage young women to remain in the CS pipeline until they graduate.

The strategic partners scholarships are awarded to incoming or current female students who are considering a CS program at Calvin. The Grace Hopper conference encourages young women to persevere through their male-dominated CS classes by: (i) presenting them with high-profile role models; (ii) letting them mix, mingle, and network with thousands of other CS women; and (iii) preparing them to deal with problems that female CS students frequently encounter, such as misogyny, stereotype threat, the imposter syndrome, and others. The conference thus motivates women to persevere, succeed, and ultimately thrive in CS.

The initiative is funded by partner donations of: $1,500 grants to attend the GHC conference; and/or $3,500 scholarships. Due, in part, to this funding, the percentage of women in CS at Calvin has grown from ~10% in 2013 to ~33% in 2024. We hope to press on toward our 50% goal.  

Our sincere thanks to our partners, such as Corewell Health, Open Systems Technology, Gordon Food Service, Atomic Object and CQL, for their support for this initiative over the years!

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