FSL Sponsor Abstract: Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC)
Recruitment and Retention of Women Undergraduates
Department of Computer Science, Stony Brook University
Computer science (CS) as a discipline is notorious for being male-dominated,
and Stony Brook University's (SBU) CS major is no exception. Women
accounted for 10% of the CS degrees conferred in 2017-18 at SBU. This
improved to 17% in 2018-2019, but we are still not at parity. Our goal is
to increase the percentage of graduating Women to over 30%. As part of the
NCWIT (National Center for Women in Technology) Extension Program, we
analyzed admissions data and data from surveys and focus groups to identify
the challenges towards achieving our goal. Based on our study, we have
designed an evidence-based strategic plan for recruitment and retention of
women undergraduates.