U.A. WHITAKER COLLEGE – Amplifies Computing Education and Opportunities in SWFL

Huzefa Kagdi, Ph.D.

In its approximately thirteen-year journey as a stand-alone unit at FGCU, the college initially developed programs in the engineering disciplines. Driven by the needs of our communities, we then added Construction Management. The focus has now shifted to enhancing the educational, scholarship, and outreach footprints in Computing vis-à-vis the programs in Computer Science.

The vision and its implementation began about three years ago, which was reinforced by the incoming new leadership then at the university and college levels. Once again, it was rooted in the best interests of our citizens, businesses, government agencies, and the community at large. It was evidently clear that Computer Science was the right and strategic choice, and the time was more than apt to add it to our portfolio.

We started with hiring a cluster of faculty with individual and collective expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Data Science. Their contributions are expected not only in the core discipline of Computer Science but also in its interdisciplinary applications across Business, Education, Health, and other sectors of our economy pertinent to Southwest Florida.

The resulting outcomes are the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in computer science and the impending launch of a multidisciplinary institute on Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, which was recently approved by the FGCU leadership. These programs supplement our bachelor’s in software engineering and complement other programs in Construction and Engineering. Computer Science is one of the fastest growing majors in the country with specialization in Artificial Intelligence, leading the way in our state and nation.

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)suggests the annual growth in the number of degrees between 2016 and 2020 was 9.5% nationally and 9.1% in Florida.

According to a recent analysis, the expected 5-year job growth in SW Florida is 9%; median annual earnings for many occupations related to Computer Science range from $50,000 to $110,000; and the total number of jobs associated with these occupations is expected to be 10,525 by 2027. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects overall employment in computer and information technology occupations to grow much faster than average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032 and the median annual wage for this group was$104,420 in May 2023, which was higher than the median annual wage of $48,060 for all occupations. Popular job titles include software engineers/developers, project managers, systems engineers, network engineers, and data scientists. Arthrex, The Hertz Corporation, Herc Rentals, Collier County, Lee Health, NeoGenomics, Chico’s, and Call Miner are among the frequent employers in our region.

To surmise, the employment prospects are quite bright. Computing is at the epicenter of the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) and it fueled the Fourth Industrial revolution. It has already achieved great heights of automation and autonomy for tedious tasks, and we continue to make big strides for intelligent tasks.

It is hard to imagine any sectors untouched by Computing in improving the quality of life, safety, security, and service. The beneficiaries’ range from individuals to companies to nation states. Tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot are slowly becoming ubiquitous and are replacing the go-to “web search” engines for us.

Autonomous vehicles, smart homes and communities, blended work environments, and AI-driven health are among the dispersions from the prism of today’s reality. We live in exciting times and the future holds great promise. Weare grateful to enjoy the support from local industry and other agencies in these endeavors.

FGCU with its roles and responsibilities is ready to partner. Let us collectively shape the future with all the opportunities and challenges in its glory!

For now, we remain fully committed and completely immersed in welcoming students to our Computer Science programs beginning in August and other synergistic activities at FGCU and in our communities. I invite you to connect with the U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering, if you are not already.