This S-STEM project is Increasing Diversity in Next-Generation Computing (IDNGC) in two related majors, Computer Science and Management Information Systems. Students within Computer Science and Management Information Systems share a close relationship in curriculum and have significant overlap in student experience, including student organizations, colloquium talks, student tutoring sessions and alumni mentoring. The program will emphasize participation by students from underrepresented groups, including women and minority students, first-generation college students and students from economically challenged areas of Alabama. The project: 1) recruits qualified students, 2) provides a support infrastructure to enhance success as students, 3) provides financial assistance for students who have demonstrated a commitment to their studies in these fields, and 4) exposes students to new advances in computing. The project provides scholarships for 24 undergraduates over a four-year time period, with 12 scholarships for the Computer Science Department and 12 for the Management Information Systems Department. Providing the scholarships alleviates some of the financial risks for students in these fields. The project establishes a formal structure for assessing and assisting students during their academic careers, including faculty, peer and alumni mentoring, and exposure to new advances in computing, such as cloud computing, security, business intelligence and robotics. The result is to enhance their professional development and participation in research, which can increase their future success in a STEM field in either industry or academia. This project builds on research results regarding the recruitment, retention and matriculation of students who are members of underrepresented groups. Incorporating formal assessment cycles as part of participants' academic careers not only provides for improved retention, but also provides further insight into the difficulties experienced by these students and allows for the development of new techniques to enhance student success. Increasing the students' knowledge and exposure to cutting edge ideas in the field help them create solutions to future problems. All of the faculty serving on this project are members of underrepresented groups who serve as role models for the students, who in turn serve as role models to students at lower academic levels. Furthermore, emphasis on next generation computing helps to prepare students in our programs with the knowledge and tools to innovate and lead in the field.
