Computer science
loses accreditation

By Jerrica Hutchison, The Herald Staff

The computer science program at Arkansas State University recently lost its accreditation because of a combination of loss of faculty and disinterest in the program.

Dr. Jeff Jennus, department chair, said it was not necessarily anything inside the department. "Several of the issues revolved around support (of the program)," he said.

Although Jennus would not comment on many of the specific criteria, he said one of the problems related to the loss of a professor in one of the computer science positions. He said this was not a main reason for the loss, but there is difficulty in filling positions for the program. "There are so few graduates and such a large demand for CS majors," he said.

Gaining support for the program was another problem for the department, although Jenness said the department was looking forward to receiving more support in the future.

Accreditation is given to departments within college and universities that have met certain criteria by the review board.

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) currently reviews the computer science department at ASU. According to their Web site, accreditation is given to "ensure quality in educational institutions and programs."
Representatives from ABET said the department had failed to meet certain criteria requirements, but denied any further comment.

Seven requirements were listed on the ABET Web site: objectives and assessments, student support, faculty, curriculum, laboratories and computing facilities, institutional support and financial resources and institutional facilities.
The ones most pertinent to the computer science department are the faculty and institutional support and financial resources criteria. The faculty criteria requires that "faculty members are current and active in the discipline and have the necessary technical breadth and depth to support a modern computer science program. There are enough faculty members to provide continuity and stability, to cover the curriculum reasonably, and to allow an appropriate mix of teaching and scholarly activity."

Standards the computer science program does not meet include having enough full-time faculty members with primary commitment to the program to provide continuity and stability, all faculty members must have a level of competence that would normally be obtained through graduate work and some full-time faculty members must have a Ph.D. in computer science.

Criteria for Institutional Support requires "the institution's support for the program and the financial resources available to the program are sufficient to provide an environment in which the program can achieve its objectives. Support and resources are sufficient to provide assurance that the program will retain its strength throughout the period of accreditation."

Standards the department has failed to meet include support for faculty must be sufficient to enable the program to attract and retain high quality faculty capable of supporting the program's objectives.

Jenness said the loss would mostly concern students, who have pride in having accreditation. "They're concerned on how it would affect them," he said. "They're also worried or concerned about supplies and equipment for the program."
He said the lack of faculty is a prime concern presently because students want to know if they will be able to have enough classes or not.

The accreditation loss may have a much larger effect. It serves to notify both parents and students that the program or department has met minimum standards. With the Dec. 31 loss of accreditation, prospective students may turn elsewhere to receive their degree.

Another problem lies with the employers hiring the computer science graduates. According to the ABET Web site, accreditation informs employers that the graduate is ready to begin professional practice. Future graduates may have problems in locating an appropriate job or salary.

The current highest recruiters for computer science majors are the Acxiom Corporation, Wal-Mart Information and Alltel. A representative from Alltel said the accreditation loss may affect the future hiring of ASU computer science graduates, although the primary concern was experience and general knowledge of computer science.

However, students graduating in May should have no problems with finding a job, Jennus said. "Right now there is still a great demand for computer science majors. Job opportunities remain the same," he said.

Bobby Peppers, a senior computer science major of Jonesboro, said he doesn't have any concerns about finding a job right now. "It could have a possible affect for education," he said. "I know they are doing everything they can to re-attain accreditation."

The ABET Web site listed other problems related to the accreditation loss that rely with taxpayers and the general public. The Web site said accreditation lets taxpayers know their money is being spent well. Without it, taxpayers or other members of the public may become angry.

Dr. Richard Tangeman, professor of computer science, agreed that the loss of accreditation was unfortunate. "It'll probably hurt it (the program) some although the program itself really isn't hurting that much," he said. "Our graduates are successful in the world so I don't think it will hurt it that much either."

Dr. Ralph Abernathy, professor of computer science, said the loss will affect the perception of the program, as well as funding. "Students will suffer the most from the loss of accreditation," he said.