SYNOPSIS
Computing Science Program - Faculty of Science
Background Data
A.
What were the forces that gave emphasis to the development of
the proposal?
Computels and computer techniques are having profound impact
on modern society. They have revolutionized the approach to a
wide variety of disciplines. They have a profound sociological,
economic and scientific implication. No branch of science and
technology can be predicted to have a quicker growth rate or
greater impact or greater potential for the next decade. This
potential is recognized by students. There is a great demand
in universities across the country for courses and programs in
Computing Science. The graduates of such programs are eminently
successful in obtaining new positions. The growth rate, in
terms of computers and computer technology, is exponential with
no immediate end in sight.
There is a correspondingly rapid development in the sophisti-
cation of-computer techniques and in the development of
. ?
Computing Science as an established discipline with many broad
ramifications. These include such diverse topics as "artificial
intelligence" and "integrated information systems".
The Faculty of Science, in selecting a program in Computing
Science as its number one priority, recognized the broad need
within the university community. It took into account the high
demand from students and ranked Computing Science as its first
choice in program priorities.
B.
Objectives of Program
To provide a sound undergraduate program leading to a degree
with a major in Computing Science as part of course offerings
in the Faculty of Science. This is, in itself, a recognition
of the importance and emergence of Computing Science as a
significant field of study.
C.
Discipline Oriented
D.
Immediate Undergraduate Long-Term Undergraduate and Graduate
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E.
Organizational Structure
Immediate, within the Department of Mathematics.
Long-term possibility of a separate Department.
F.
It will fit within the regular university structure, and will
be part of the Mathematics Department.
Curriculum appended.
C. ?
Curriculum appended.
H.
Program Requirements appended.
I.
Recognition
Bachelor of Science Degree recommended by the Department of
Mathematics, through the Faculty of Science.
J.
?
Need for the Program
Computing Science programs now exist at other Canadian
Universities including our neighbouring universities - the
•
?
University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta,
and the University of Toronto. The most highly developed
program is at the University of Waterloo. The organizational
structure is usually within a separate department of Computing
Science, but this varies from one institution to another.
There is an identifiable demand amongst our current students
and this is reflected in the high enrollments in Computing
Science 106-3.
The choice is actually between the institution of a program in
Computing Science and between the offering of courses in
Computing Science. Development of the subject has been so
rapid and so many disciplines now require it as part of a basic
training or education, that it will be impossible for this or
any other university to maintain viable programs without of-
fering Computing Science courses in the decade ahead. For
example, I cannot foresee long-term development in economics,
commerce, business administration, psychology, sociology, let
alone the physical sciences and mathematics continuing without
the use of "service courses" in computing science. However,
a mounting of such service courses within the Department or
organized in an uncoordinated and an unplanned way could be more
expensive for the university and far less profitable in its
academic potential than the mounting of a planned and organized
program in in Computing Science. The choice is actually between
these alternatives rather than between a program in Computing
Science, or no program.
K.
Student Demand for the Program
There is an identifiable demand amongst current students for
service courses in Computing Science. Furthermore, a comparison
with the growth of Computing Science programs in other univer-
sities shows that this is now a program of choice for very
large numbers of students interested in Mathematics and Science
as a whole. It is also a very much required "service" course
for students in subjects such as Economics and Quantitative,
Social, Biological and Physical Sciences.
The projected enrollment is given in Faculty of Science paper 17-F
and our orfginal program proposal. It would be expected that
the program would be as large as any currently in the Faculty
of Science and could graduate 30 to 50 students per year.
L.
Utilization of Graduates of the Program
The graduates of the program would easily find job opportunities
within the province and within Canada. The projected demands
. ?
for those skilled in Computing Science, other than at the purely?
mechanical level, are extremely high.
The projected five year operating budget is included in our
original submission.
My current estimate of the implementation of the program is in-
cluded in my presentation "Patterns of Development in the Faculty
of Science", prepared in January of 1970. I enclose the per-
tinent pages 2 & 3 of this to indicate the buildup of the
program as foreseen at the present time.
The library requirements in this field are minimal. The
University already subscribes to many of the pertinent pub-
lications and purchases the books required. There is no
extensive back literature of periodicals in the subject and
the cost of back issues would be relatively small.
M.
Teaching Space
No increase in teaching space is foreseen. We will have to
provide offices for faculty members but the present lecture
facilities will be adequate for the new program.
I
? -4-
N. ?
Research
Space - Faculty
No special faculty research space need be provided. The
computer is essentially the laboratory of the computing
scientist.
0.
A Computing Science program is not completely new for this
University. Some individual courses in computing are taught
within the Department of Mathematics. There was a temptation
to increase this type of offering by small increments.
However, such an approach would not ensure a program of high
quality. Instead, it is our intention to press for a program
which will be planned carefully in advance and which will be
under the general direction of eminent experts in Computing
Science.
The general Computing Science program, which we have proposed
in its core form, is based on recommended programs at the
undergraduate level in leading universities in North America.
There is no doubt that a senior academic appointment in Com-
puting Science will be necessary to provide the leadership in
professional competence to implement a first rate undergraduate
program. The computing groups will then be in a position to
polish the program and to refine the actual core structure.
The general pattern of development is viewed as proceeding in
three phases:
PHASE I - initiation of 100 and 200 level courses in Computing
Science.
PHASE II- initiation of 300 and 400 level courses.
PHASE III- initiation of a complete major program in Computing
Science.
PHASE IV - the establishment of new branches and choices within
the Computing Science elective and the establishment
of choices in the graduate program.
The essential first three phases will probably have the following
budgetary implications:
1970-71 ?
- number of new faculty - 3; annual rate of salary -
$45,000; actual salary commitment - $30,000;
operating expense - $45,000.
.
-
-5-
?
1971-72 ?
- number of new faculty - 2; annual rate of salary -
$70,000; actual expenditure - $60,000; operating
expense - $90,000.
?
1972-73 ?
- number of new faculty - 3; annual rate of ex-
penditure - $110,000; actual expenditure - $90,000;
operating expense - $135,000.
Sciclice
issues and/or
?
()uc;t: ioini
?
Raised
?
b y
?
the
?
Academic ?
Piaunirg Committee
1. ?
Will ?
there he an adequate demand
?
for ?
thcjrutrnm? ?
Dean Fun t
ind:i catcd
?
:hat ?
there would
?
be more
?
than adequil. e demand
?
for
the program.
?
He
?
noted
?
that
?
up until
?
five years
?
ago,
?
t:hcre
was ?
no complete computer
?
:c.eflCC
program in CaLrJcla .
?
The
University of ?
British Columbia started a
?
computer
?
science
program
a
year ago but as yet:
?
it remains in
the
formative
stages.
?
The Committee would
?
direct
?
Senate's ?
attention ?
to
the comments of Mr.
?
T.
?
R. ?
Jewell, ?
Director,
?
Computing Centre
regarding the proposed program.
?
Mr.
?
Jewel. 1' s memo
?
to
D
r. ?
John. Chase
?
Academic ?
Planner is attached as an appendix
to the Computing Science prop
osa
l. ?
Mr.
?
Jewell comments
?
that
"with
respect ?
to
?
these course offerings
?
providing the basis
of a major in computing science they would probably be adequate
if all we are interested in producing are students whose aim
is to go on to graduate school to continue their stud
y
of
computer science, ?
or who plan to seek specialized employment
in industry,
?
in the latter case,
?
they would
?
be confronted
with a
?
I. jail t ('d number of opportunities
?
primarily with
?
com-
puter manufacturers ?
in a sales
?
support role or, ?
possibly,
in a
?
research environment, ?
He further notes:
?
''1 would
think that
?
the ccdn1)utcr science progralns which already exist
in Canadian universities today are more than adequate to
supply the demand
?
for the
?
'programmer
' ?
of the future,
?
but
they will fail
?
far ?
short of meeting the demand
?
for the systems
•
?
specialist:
?
if present ?
curricula continue unchanged.
2. ?
Per Mr. Jewell 's comments,
?
ought ?
the University ?
to be considering
a program in computing sciences at the undergraduate level,
?
or
one in computer administration at
?
the graduate level?
?
Dean
Font responded by indicating that he felt
?
that a computer admin-
i.stra t ion. program at
?
the graduate level would be complementary
to the program proposed at
?
the undergraduate level. ?
That program
at
?
least
?
initially,
?
will ?
be intended
?
to train in computer
technqucs ?
students ?
..
'
hci are majoring in ?
other
?
disciplines ?
in-
cluding the
?
social ?
sciences,
?
physic:.].
?
sciences,
?
management:
sciences,
?
etc.
?
Because the courses will be
?
intended ?
to serve
a ?
broad
?
spectrum of students
?
froñi across
?
the University,
?
and
because of the need to train students
?
in comput
er
techniques,
the proposed
?
program will
?
fill ?
a ?
need
?
largely ?
on
?
that
?
at ?
this
University. ?
Time graduate ?
program in compmmter administration
referred ?
1:o
?
by
?
tim. ?
Jewell
?
is
?
int:csided ?
to meet: ?
more ?
specialized
needs which might
?
well ?
s erve as ?
a
?
logical ?
extension
?
of
?
time
ropu:-:ed
?
undergraduate
?
program.
3.
?
?
The program proposed ?
is a disciplinary program in its own right although it is
intended to serve i.nterdir'c.i.p.ti.nnry interests.
?
Originally, the
program
was
conceived of an Lii 1 Log
a
need for training in
computer techniques those nt:udenLs who were majoring in other
science disciplines, but now there is recognition of thc need
for the program to. serve a much broader spectrum of students
including those in the Arts and Education Faculties.
Should the in i.ti_ni. organ :i. za C 'i.nn borne for the.
p
ronram be in
thn
?
h departmenK There are
differences
of opinion with
?
regard to possible models for the implementation of new
programs. One is to establish the program initially within
the department with which it is most closely identi
fied
.
The second is to establish it as a program directly under the
dean of the faculty with which it is most closely iden::i.fied
Third is to establish it as a new department
?
Fourth to ?
establish it as a University program not tied to any particular
department of faculty but reporting possibly to the
\ J
ic.c-
Pres id ent , Academic. The proposal recommends that the initial
"organizational home' for the program would be the math
department. The program proposed was left in core form on
the assumption that the senior academic appoin ted to head up
the program should have considerable discretion in polishing
the program and refining the actual course structure. The
Commit. tee was concerned on several counts with this proposed
procedure. First, the program is intended to serve a wide
variety of interdisciplinary interests. If the program is
housed in the math department with the responsibility of
selecting the senior academic to head the program
left with either t:he math department or the Faculty of Science,
the Committee questioned whether all the disciplines in the
UnMrsity
1:0
be served by the program would he considered.
Second, the individual appointed to head the program would be
identified with the math department.
?
Presumably, a math
?
department selection committee would he responsible for
recommending the appointment of other individuals to be identified
with the program. Again, the Committee wondered whether the
needs of the cot: ire University would be considered if the
appo in tme.n t
1
ncomnicndn t Loon emerged from one department.
Third, the Committee recognized that there was
a
ten-
dency In the past to identify computing
ng sci cnce programs
wi th math departments. However, for the reasons enumerated
above, thler(: appears to he a growing feeling
Clint
math
(I cpa) tmem ts are not the logical home for such programs and an
organization home should no found
•:Iieii
more :lcic r _icmntely re-
flects the interdisciplinary dcnianci for such programs.
. ?
For
.
C
4 .
...3
-3-
. ?
these rcaons , the Committee would urge that consideration
be
glVcfl
to
the following:
1, the selection of the senior academic appointed to develop
the Computing science program be undertaken by an inter-
faculty commi
t
tee and that this procedure also holds true
for subsequent appointments to the program
2. that organizationally, consideration be given to having
the staff appointed to the program report: either to the
Dean of Science, or to whatever s
t
ructure is established
for the organization and administration of interdisciplinary
programs
5.
?
Should the
210
rain offer bath ma or
g
and minors? Dean Font noted
that computer sciences are a bubject of study in themselves
but that it is intended that in addition, the program provide
a service function to other departments
?
There
was
unanimous
agreement on the Committee that the program ought to be struc-
tured so as to provide a broad opportunity for students in all.
departments to obtain a minor in computing science. Given the
comments of hr. Jewell regarding demand in Canada for graduates
of an undergraduate program in computing science, there is
some question in the Committee's mind as to whether or not a
• ?
major in computing sciences ought to he offered at this
university. The Committee has no recommendation to make on
this particular issue.
August
28,
1970
/1.g
