Cleveland State University wants to make computer science–an in-demand field long dominated by white men–more accessible to more people, especially the city’s students of color. 

After years of related work and collaborations on this front, the university is taking another big step by formally launching its Center for Computing Education and Instruction.  

University officials said the focus is on getting more students, including those in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, connected to the growing and lucrative field, which pays a yearly average salary of more than $100,000. They said they want to show them opportunities early and often. 

“Our work will not be done until every student has access to high-quality computer science education and programming,” Nigamanth Sridhar said at a launch event Tuesday. He is the university’s provost and also a CMSD school board member. 

Closing a ‘massive gap of opportunity’ 

Sridhar isn’t new to this. He’s long been motivated by what he calls a “massive gap of opportunity” among CMSD students as well as others across the state, Sridhar said. 

The gap was especially noticeable, he said, about a decade ago when the university began training educators to teach advanced computer science classes at K-12 schools. Most of those teachers came from suburban districts with more money and resources. Rural and urban districts were frequently shut out, he said. 

University officials eventually partnered with other institutions, including CMSD and the Cleveland Foundation, to amplify this work. 

Keys to success

Those partners are continuing with this next chapter. This center will “deepen” that work in Cleveland and surrounding areas as well as “dramatically expand our support to school districts and partners in other parts of Ohio,” said Debbie Jackson, the university’s vice provost for instructional excellence and the center’s new director. 

Here is what the center plans to do:

• Train educators by offering what university leaders call high-quality computer science instruction to K-12 teachers. 
• Support students by giving young people more access to experiential opportunities, Jackson said, adding a focus will be on “catalyzing and amplifying efforts across partner organizations.” 
• Push for policy changes by advocating on all government levels for policies focusing on boosting access, quality and justice. 
• Increase research by focusing on Cleveland State’s overall research output, which was a major focus of President Laura Bloomberg’s State of the University address last fall. 

CMSD begins behind   

Affluent districts have been offering computer science courses for decades, said Jackson.

That means many Cleveland students are behind from the beginning, or, as Jackson told the crowd, “disconnected from, and less prepared for, post-secondary pathways to high-wage technical and even non-technical careers before they left high school.” 

Jackson described this as an “injustice.” It motivated the university to do more. She and her colleagues now work closer with the city’s schools. Over the past several years, they’ve boosted computer science opportunities in buildings and connected students with internships, she said. 

Funding increases for computer science

Jackson stressed that continued collaborations will be important. Representatives from the Cleveland Foundation, which university leaders called a “critical” partner, announced $400,000 in new funding.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted also announced Cleveland State will be part of a new $6 million state initiative. Seventeen colleges in total will work to provide more related professional development, such as coursework or materials to prepare for credentialing exams, for up to 1,100 K-12 teachers looking to further their computer science knowledge. 

Roles in computer technology and information are forecasted to grow “much faster” than other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Plus, in 2022, Team NEO found the region’s demand for jobs was highest in computer and IT fields.  

“We cannot be the economically prosperous state and community that we want to be without the best talent,” Husted said. “Computer science talent is as important as any skill in the modern economy.” 

CMSD to CSU pipeline

Groups from four Cleveland schools were stationed across the university’s ballroom offering demonstrations on the robots, drones or computers they constructed. But district CEO Warren Morgan said these students tend to be the exception, not the rule.  

“Most of our students do not have access to computer science courses,” he said. “We have far too many teachers that don’t have the training and support. They may have the desire and the passion, but they don’t have the credentials…to actually provide this work to our scholars.”  

Even still, thanks at least in part to existing work, 181 CMSD students – about one out of every 10 new freshmen  –  enrolled at Cleveland State during the fall 2022 semester in computer science or a related major, according to Jackson. 

That could be a bright spot for a university that has seen continued enrollment declines. 

What comes next

It is still early. The event was heavy on inspiration but lighter on next steps and success metrics. There is currently no dedicated on-campus physical space for the center. Leaders said their plans are to eventually scale this programming to other urban cities and rural areas statewide. 

The Cleveland Foundation also provides financial support to Signal Cleveland. Read a full list of our local and national donors here.