“The demand for computing talent in the tech industry has never been stronger. Our College’s growth reflects that demand. We’re thrilled to be offering the quality education that our students need for success in the 21st century workforce.”
Michigan Tech has long been the best-kept secret in higher education, but not anymore. This is a spectacular university, and we mustn’t shy away from making sure that everyone understands that. Over the past few years, all of us at MTU have significantly increased our storytelling efforts, with a focus on growing the University’s national presence like never before.
As the newest academic unit on campus, this is doubly true for the College of Computing. Since I arrived 18 months ago, we have created several new outlets to connect with friends and colleagues and highlight our successes. Among the most notable of these efforts was the Computing[MTU] Showcase in April 2022, which brought together colleagues, alumni, and students from across Michigan Tech to highlight our growing focus on computing and computing-adjacent disciplines.
The Showcase (see page 6) included a panel discussion about the College of Computing, the first inductions to our Honor Academy, keynote speakers, a Women in IT panel, workshops, seminars, and much more. The Showcase will be an annual event, and I encourage everyone reading this to join us in our next celebration of computing in October 2023.
Speaking of Computing[MTU], we have also introduced a new visual identity for the College.
Computing[MTU] is now an official sub-brand at Michigan Tech, which allows us to specifically market the College of Computing. There is obviously some nerd-humor associated with it—square brackets in a language like C define subscription, meaning MTU is the index within the larger “computing” space.
But more than that, the brackets have become a unique visual identifier for the College used widely in our materials and events. In fact, we have a seven-foot pair of brackets that we physically transport to College events.
Our social media presence is growing quickly and we have increased the creation of content to tell our stories, including a trio of in-depth articles discussing the past, present, and future of computing at Michigan Tech. And this fall we refreshed the interior of Rekhi Hall, including colorful new wall art to better connect with our current and prospective students.
This magazine is a continuation of all these visibility efforts. Gateway is not meant to be an exhaustive annual report. Rather, it’s a magazine with compelling stories from the College of Computing at Michigan Tech. In this inaugural issue, you’ll learn more about our cutting-edge academic programs, the excellence of our faculty, our recent research successes, and our work to increase diversity within the computing space.
Thanks for reading,
Dennis R. Livesay, PhD
Dave House Dean of Computing
P.S. Please join us on our journey!
As you’ll read in this magazine, the common denominator in the success of all our academic and outreach activities is our engaged and generous community of alumni, friends, organizations, and industry leaders. Link to our Giving page to find out how you can support computing education and outreach at Michigan Tech.