FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 9, 2017

For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV - Employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These occupations are expected to add new jobs in part due to a greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, expansion of the ‘Internet of Things,’ and the continued demand for mobile computing.

Glenville State College has a well-established Computer Science and Information Systems program that will be celebrating a 30 year anniversary in 2017. For interested students, concentrations are available in architecture & security or in programming, either of which can lead to a challenging and rewarding career.

After graduation students should be prepared to design, maintain, and troubleshoot networks; write, debug, and maintain applications in Java and C++; design, develop, and maintain websites using HTML5, PHP, and MySQL; and design and maintain databases using SQL. Students can quickly put their degree to use in entry level positions as a network engineer, database administrator, web developer, application programmer, or system administrator.

Former students in the program cite personal attention from the experienced faculty as their favorite part of being a Pioneer.

“There are a lot of professors out there who teach, but rarely will you find ones who inspire. For me, it happened my first day working with Leslie Ward (GSC’s past website technologist and current computer science professor). I was struggling with going to a class because it felt repetitive. She pointed out that no two teachers are the same, and one might cover a different area on the subject of study. I ended up going and really enjoyed and actually understood the subject a lot more. The instructor went out of his way to try to make subjects more enjoyable and had us do projects that helped us think of out of the box solutions,” said recent graduate Kevin Carson. Before completing his degree, Carson had already started his own web design and tech business, Forever Logic, and has continued it for eight years now.

University students in Puebla, Mexico answer questions from a Glenville State College student about her web design project

GSC’s Computer Science program has also taken part in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses to expand global learning opportunities. Students in a GSC web design class worked with students enrolled in a business course at the Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla in Mexico. During scheduled video chats throughout the semester, GSC students interacted with the students in Puebla and discussed business practices and etiquette in an international context. The collaboration culminated with a final project in which the web design students learned how to work with an international client to develop a website while the business students honed their English-speaking skills and learned about marketing to other cultures.

The professors in GSC’s Computer Science program are from a variety of professional backgrounds including information systems security, programming, database administration, and networking. The program is reevaluated constantly to match skills learned with expectations from industry professionals.

“I feel really lucky to be able to teach Computer Science courses at Glenville State College. I’ve had the good fortune of working for large organizations including the U.S. Air Force and Hewlett Packard, of being an independent contractor, and of working with small start-ups. It’s a lot of fun to be able to bring some of those experiences into the classroom to augment what we’re reading about in the texts. The small class size allows me to work closely with my students on projects, too, and I feel like I’m able to deliver relevant content more effectively as a result,” said Ward.

Students with a variety of existing skill levels are welcome to enroll in the program. Instructors in the program also administer the introductory computing skills course to all students, regardless of major.

For more information about the Computer Science and Information Systems program at GSC, contact (304) 462-4123.