Mission Statement

The mission of the Computer Science Department is to provide high-quality computer science education in a liberal arts setting.  Overall, our aim is to contribute to the education of a well-rounded student, who may or may not pursue a career in the field.  This mission is accomplished by the activities of teaching, research, and service.

Computer Science gives students a solid foundation in the fundamental, invariant principals and practices of our discipline.  These include problem analysis, algorithm design, and the selection of appropriate theoretical models, software systems, and hardware systems for implementing computational solutions to problems.  Our teaching mission is also to make students aware of the historical, social, legal, and ethical context of computing practices.

Faculty members contribute to the growth of knowledge in our field.  Some of this activity takes the form of basic research, whose results are published in particular areas of specialization.  Other research activity is aimed at perfecting and evolving new pedagogy.  Our research and teaching missions overlap in cases where students are apprenticed as research assistants to collaborate with faculty on research projects or are mentored on projects of their own.

The department provides learning opportunities for non-majors in a foundational area of the university's curriculum, provides our expertise on university committees and in our professional organizations, and advises individual students, student organizations, and organizations in the wider community.