The projects and strategies that UMES will consider for a five-year plan are divided into five categories: * enhanced faculty/student research * enhanced teaching methodologies * enhanced faculty development * enhanced hardware/software facilities * exploration of new linkages The establishment of a centralized resource center to accommodate the research interest and projects of all the Computer Science faculty and students would contribute immensely toward creating a research-friendly environment. A unique way of implementing this idea is through the establishment of a research conference laboratory. This special laboratory would be available to faculty and graduate students in Applied Computer Science to implement research activities. It would be equipped with a conference room for small group meetings, cubicles for individual study, special equipment such as personal computers and peripherals, and a sophisticated graphical workstation (e.g.:a SUN or and IRIS). Consolidating faculty research coverage in the areas of artificial intelligence and computational mathematics would encourage greater cooperation and sharing of available facilities thereby making research efforts more cost effective. Student comprehension can be significantly increased by supplementing the traditional lecture with specialized laboratories for each of the Computer Science courses. This coupled with specialized support laboratories for the preparation of media and analyzing research results seems to be a good strategy for enhancing teaching methodologies. These specialized laboratories are to be utilized in conjunction with the ongoing research. In building an adequate computer facility, they will consider: acquisition and maintenance of a state-of-the art mainframe computer system, an adequate number of workstations in terminal rooms, a terminal and/or a PC in each CS faculty office, a local area network (LAN) to accommodate software development and exchange among faculty, access to global networks and the installation of several computer graphics work stations. Several linkages to Universities, HBCU's, governmental agencies, private industries and foundations will be attempted for the purpose of obtaining helpful suggestions and advice on maintaining a program of excellence in computer science. This program will be one that answers the challenge and impact upon the Nation's ability to attract sufficiently talented youth to major in computer science. Moreover, it will serve as a magnet to attract women and minorities to enroll at UMES in advanced degree programs in computer science
