POSITIONING DIVERSE LEADERS FOR SUCCESS THE PAUL M. RADY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING INITIATIVE The demand for highly qualified computer scientists and engineers has never been greater. Despite existing workforce opportunity and the growing interest among learners to earn degrees in these fields, rising tuition costs and crowded classrooms prevent countless students each year from enrolling in these programs. In a competitive economic market where technology and engineering are evident pillars of success, more must be done to increase the supply of skilled and relevant graduates and expeditiously populate the workforce pipeline.
And in classrooms and boardrooms alike exists another unsettling trend — a lack of gender and racial diversity among students and professionals. Due to an assortment of structural barriers, individuals from various gender and racial backgrounds are largely underrepresented across the computer science and engineering space. THE PAUL M. RADY SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE will secure private support for computer science and engineering scholarships, with an emphasis placed on recruiting and supporting females and students of color throughout their academic journey.