Department of Computer Science

511 Pray-Harrold

Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197

Phone: 734.487.1063

Fax: 734.487.6824

[email protected]

About Us

Mission Statement

"To foster the joy of intellectual accomplishment that derives from rigorous thinking in, and disciplined practice of, computer science."

  • History

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    By the early 1980s the faculty of Eastern Michigan's Mathematics Department had created an undergraduate major in computer science that included courses in subjects such as data structures, formal languages, compiler construction, operating systems, artificial intelligence, database systems, networks, programming languages and others. This group of mathematics faculty included John Cooper, Andrew Dempster, Alan Heezen, Hartmut Höft, Kurt Lauckner, John Remmers, Mary Rhodes, Sushil Sachdev and Michael Zeiger. They, along with several new faculty hires, were split off from Mathematics in 1985 to form the Computer Science Department, still within the College of Arts and Sciences. During the first year of the department's existence, Andrew Dempster served as the interim department head. A Unix-based DEC MicroVAX was acquired by the department; this machine was ultimately turned over to University Computing and is the ancestor of the current emunix.emich.edu.

    The first permanent head of computer science was George E. Haynam, who came aboard in 1986, having gained his previous professional experience at Case Tech, University of Florida, Vanderbilt University and Harris Corporation. During the department's first years, an MA in mathematics with a concentration in computer science was created in conjunction with the Mathematics Department. (This program still exists and is an ideal choice for students who are attracted to the more formal underpinnings of the field.) Graduate and undergraduate programs in computer science education were established and a 12-hour graduate certificate in artificial intelligence was created. Dr. Haynam developed several personal computer labs and oversaw increases in the sizes of sections to teach the university's principal computer literacy course, COSC 136 (now COSC 101), along with an increase in the number of graduate assistants to support the teaching of the course. He also acquired resources to hire more technical support staff and faculty. By the late 1990s, the department had initiated its own MS program in computer science.

    Upon George Haynam's retirement in 2000, Hartmut Höft became the department head. Under Dr. Höft's guidance, labs were expanded, most lower-level classes became lecture/lab courses, more faculty were hired, and several new programs were instituted, including a double MS program with the Technical University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

    Starting in 2005, Dr. Höft took positions as interim associate dean and then dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; William McMillan succeeded Höft at this time. In 2012, Augustine Ikeji assumed the duties of department head.

    The department continues to expand in both depth and breadth. Recently, courses have been added in mobile application development, data mining and web science. This is a department that celebrates and embraces diversity; our faculty come from seven different countries on three different continents.

  • Values and Goals

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    • Intellectual rigor as exemplified by mathematics, formal logic, disciplined analysis and empirical investigation.
    • The enduring technical foundations of computer science that enable students and faculty to adapt to new developments in information technology.
    • Practical professional knowledge that supports students' success in the workplace and faculty participation in the professional world of computing.
    • Integration of education in computer science with other sciences and with the liberal arts, i.e., embedding technical education in a liberal arts community.
    • Interdisciplinary collaboration with colleagues in other departments at EMU and in other organizations.
      Respect for the ideas of students and colleagues, independent of rank or position; seeking guidance from those who are more junior.
    • Responsiveness to the logistical constraints experienced by students, staff and faculty due to professional and family responsibilities.
    • Diversity* among all populations in the department and with which the department interacts.

    *Diversity is respected across genders, races, cultures, economic statuses, national origins, disability statuses and sexual orientations, among other dimensions.

  • Major Goal

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    To be seen by students and employers as the best applied computer science program at the BS and MS levels in Southeastern Michigan, measured both in terms of teaching and research. Teaching is to be founded on enduring principles of computer science and close working relationships between faculty and students. Research is to contribute to the solution of practical problems and provide opportunities for creative student involvement.
  • Subgoals

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    • Strengthen applied research.
    • Increase the desirability of our computer science graduates as externs and permanent employees in information technology as shown by ABET accreditation and other means.
    • Reinforce and update our department's knowledge base in pure and applied computer science (including faculty knowledge, curricula, library holdings and available tools).
  • Careers

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    List of firms previously recruited and are actively recruiting students from our program:
    • Ann Arbor SPARK
    • Auto Owners Insurance
    • Automation Alley
    • Barracuda Networks
    • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan
    • Borders, Inc.
    • Brooksource
    • C/D/H
    • Cerner Corporation
    • Compuware
    • Daifuku Webb
    • Domino's Pizza (IT-Dev)
    • FRY, Inc.
    • IBM
    • Ipanema Solutions
    • Latitude Consulting Group
    • Mathematica Policy Research
    • Menlo Innovations
    • Neumeric Technologies
    • NITS Solutions
    • ParishSOFT
    • Plante Moran
    • Prime Research
    • ProStep
    • Quanta
    • RamSoft, Inc.
    • Raymond James
    • Robert Half Technology Sircon
    • Sogeti USA
    • SPX, Corp.
    • Steelcase
    • Systems in Motion
    • TechStaff
    • The Linux Box
    • The University of Michigan Library IT
    • Thomson Reuters
    • Washtenaw Community Health Organization
    • XO Communications

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