I was too overwhelmed last fall to make the usual pre-registration post. So, for the record, here is a belated summary of our enrollments around day 10 of the spring 2022 semester.
Enrollments for Spring 2022
Leave a reply
Introducing Jordan Wirfs-Brock
I am thrilled to introduce our newest tenure-track faculty member, Jordan Wirfs-Brock, joining us in January 2023. Her tentative teaching assignments for the spring semester are CS/Math 215, Introduction to Data Science, and CS 267, Human-Computer Interaction.
Join us!
Exciting news: This spring we’ll be hiring two tenure-track faculty to join CS at Whitman, area and rank open. See the ad for more information and instructions to apply.
It’s been a long time since my last post. It’s been a busy semester. This winter break, look for reflections on the fall semester and my semiannual report on pre-registration.
Photo essay: Commencement 2021
I got my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine just in time to volunteer for Commencement on May 23. I was assigned the role of Faculty Marshall, which meant I got to help students line up in the correct order to receive their diplomas. Then while walking Gwendolyn to daycare in the morning, I saw the first stages of on-site planning for Whitman’s first (and hopefully only) socially distanced Commencement. I decided to start taking photos of the preparations.
Exactly two months later, I am finally sitting down to put them together into a photo journal. Here it is.
The Home Stretch
At Whitman we’ve faced a sudden uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases on campus, from 0 to 4, in the wake of two large student gatherings off campus. I asked if we should make a departmental plea for judiciousness, and my colleague John stepped up to the plate. I’m grateful. What he wrote is perfect, as I knew it would be from the email he wrote at the start of the pandemic.
John has given me permission to share his email below. Hopefully this is the last such needed for a while.
Farewell to CS 301, ST: Computer Networks
Whitman’s last day of classes is this coming Monday. Since my Computer Networks class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, today was our last day of class. This blog post is based on the notes for my farewell speech.
Outline due to Dr. Freda Rebelsky via Dr. Samuel Rebelsky.
- This class was special.
- Keep in touch.
- Take care of yourselves and each other.
- Remember to say goodbye.
Pre-registration for Fall 2021
The CS department met yesterday and agreed that our enrollments for fall are refreshingly crisis-free. It’s also time for a six-year retrospective on fall pre-registration. Time flies when you’re having fun!
Welcoming Women to Computer Science: The Director’s Cut
Before my article 5 Ways to Welcome Women to Computer Science was published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, there was, of course, a longer version. I’d like to share that here because it includes some details—and one entire point—that didn’t make print.
It’s also come to my attention that the Chronicle article is behind a paywall. My blog, of course, is not.
So without further ado or revisions, here it is. Continue reading
5 Good Things
Inspired by my blog buddy Amy Csizmar Dalal, let me share five good things in my life right now.
What I was like as a student
Me ca. 1997, wearing the HMC “Claremont Smog Scale” t-shirt – in grey, of course. Note the loose hair and awkwardly amused expression. Photo courtesy Bob Keller (may he rest in peace).
At a recent (virtual) gathering of friends and colleagues, Sharon Alker asked, “What were you like as a student?” This blog post is an extended response to her question—partly for Sharon and my other faculty friends, partly for my students (particularly one graduating student who I think might gain some insight into our relationship over the last few years), and partly, as always, for myself.*
Counting From Zero 