The Stevens Board of Trustees has approved the establishment of the Stevens School of Computing, which will serve as the basis of computing and AI education. As announced by President Nariman Farvardin and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jianmin Qu in a campus-wide email, the target date to open the School of Computing is Fall 2026. The creation of this school comes as a response to the ever-changing nature of the technology landscape, which impacts a wide variety of industries. In conjunction with Stevens’ mission of preparing students to live and work in a world of rapid technological enhancement, President Farvardin and Senior Vice President and Provost Qu share that the creation of this school is one step in the right direction.
Computing is currently the university’s largest academic discipline, with over a quarter of enrolled students pursuing degrees within this field. Given the interest and the projected demand for these subjects on both an undergraduate and graduate level, the creation of a new school allows for the leadership, infrastructure, and resources necessary to deliver value in terms of education and resources. The new School of Computing will also facilitate interdisciplinary opportunities and new program offerings. Students will have the ability to pursue “Computing + X” programs that combine their interest in the computing field with other disciplines in partnership with the other schools at Stevens. Additionally, there will be an expansion of program and degree offerings in areas such as computer science, AI, cybersecurity, and data science. This is beneficial to students and faculty alike. For students, it creates access to additional faculty, new courses, intriguing research opportunities, and the ability to intertwine their computing education with other fields. For faculty across all schools, this enables joint appointments and research partnerships.
With regard to funding, the budget for the existing Department of Computer Science will be transferred to the School of Computing. Additional expenses incurred for this establishment will be provided for through philanthropic support. According to the email sent out by President Farvardin and Senior Vice President and Senior Vice President and Provost Qu, the university has secured “more than $36 million in gifts, including endowed scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, endowed professorships, and support for new faculty hiring.”
In terms of strategic priorities, this initiative strengthens some of the key goals listed in Stevens 2032: Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology strategic plan. This decision will continue to position Stevens for success and uphold its competitive positioning.
Given the launch date of Fall 2026, there is a lot of groundwork that is required. Senior Vice President and Provost Qu will be leading the search for the Inaugural Dean of the School of Computing. Secondly, there will be a lot of effort in the recruitment of faculty, especially for high-demand areas such as AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, data science, and more. Existing computing programs, including faculty, will be shifted to the new school, and there will be no change in the degrees and academic progress of current students. Updates will be shared as progress is made, and FAQs for this initiative are available online.
