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Technology powerhouse of the future

Technology powerhouse of the future

Technology powerhouse of the future

A $1.5 million gift from Lowe’s will help advance UNC Charlotte’s artificial intelligence and machine learning expertise.

Technology powerhouse of the future

A $1.5 million gift from Lowe’s will help advance UNC Charlotte’s artificial intelligence and machine learning expertise.

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A commitment to research

In the century since it opened its first store in North Wilkesboro, Lowe’s — now a global Fortune 50 company —  has shown a fervent and steadfast commitment to serving its communities, especially in its hometown region.

That impassioned support will extend to UNC Charlotte through a new $1.5 million gift to the University’s College of Computing and Informatics (CCI). This donation will strengthen UNC Charlotte’s position as a leading technology hub and talent provider for Lowe’s, the Charlotte region and beyond.

“Lowe’s entire mission is that we are home to any possibility, which works so well with renowned academic institutions like UNC Charlotte,” said Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president and chief information officer at Lowe’s. “Because CCI is the top producer of computer scientists in the region, it was clear that CCI is a great partner for us as we continue to establish ourselves as a tech player.”

The gift from Lowe’s will propel UNC Charlotte’s technology research forward by establishing the Lowe’s Endowed Chair in Computer Science, enabling the University to recruit a nationally recognized teacher, scholar and computer science leader whose research focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

From smart home hubs to voice-activated digital assistants, AI and similar technologies provide tremendous opportunities to augment human capabilities.

CCI dean Fatma Mili

Fatma Mili

Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president and chief information officer at Lowe’s

Seemantini Godbole

“We are so thankful to Lowe’s for its continued commitment to strengthening research and creative expression across our University,” said Fatma Mili, dean of the College of Computing and Informatics. “This partnership is aligned with the shared commitment between UNC Charlotte and Lowe’s to make a significant impact through the continued innovation of our faculty and students and the education of the next generation of computer scientists.”

The Lowe’s gift will also establish the Lowe’s Technology Innovation Fund, which will provide $50,000 annually to support innovative research in these areas, and the donation will directly support the UNC Charlotte CCI Fund.

Now, one of the major obstacles that might have prevented CCI students, faculty and staff from being able to focus solely on innovation — financial hurdles — will be reduced.

The two-story, central atrium in Woodward Hall – home to CCI – will be named to honor Lowe’s.

The partnership between Lowe’s and CCI has also led to the development of a series of Lowe’s Technology Day seminars to be hosted each semester at CCI.

“I am always amazed by how much change we can effect when we start with an alignment of values and passions,” said Mili. “This all started with a conversation about what we can do to use artificial intelligence for the betterment of society and the reduction of inequity.”

During the inaugural Lowe’s Technology Day on April 9, Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president and chief information officer at Lowe’s, and Fatma Mili, dean of the College of Computing and Informatics, discussed the latest advances being developed by the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) and Lowe’s respectively. This event was hosted in partnership between CCI and Lowe’s Companies Inc.

The first Lowe’s Technology Day seminar, an interactive virtual conference on April 9, featured Godbole and Mili discussing the latest advances in development by CCI and Lowe’s. A broader panel discussed the outlook on employment and post-COVID technology trends with Lowe’s executives, including David Shoop, senior vice president of technology stores and corporate services; Neelima Sharma, senior vice president of technology ecommerce, marketing and merchandising; and B.K. Shepard, vice president of technology infrastructure and operations.

“Events like this allow students to get a peek inside a corporation, which can help them decide on their future career direction,” said CCI Associate Professor Mohamed Shehab. “For faculty, the engagement can result in grants and collaborations on projects with the partners. It was also very interesting to learn how Lowe’s has evolved into a technology company and how technology enabled it to succeed during the pandemic.”

CCI: BY THE NUMBERS

College of Computing and Informatics: #1 producer of African American, Hispanic and female computer science graduates in North Carolina Largest computing college in North Carolina Fastest growing college in the 17-institution UNC System 204% enrollment growth since 2009 100 faculty members

LEADERS IN THE TECH FIELD: INNOVATIVE RESEARCH WITHIN CCI

CCI leads transformational research through its undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in computer science, bioinformatics and genomics, cybersecurity, data science and business analytics, health informatics, and software and information systems.

Within CCI, faculty also perform AI research across a vast spectrum of perspectives, leveraging innovative computing hardware informed by and optimized for the fundamental principles and algorithms of AI.

Key AI Research Areas

MACHINE LEARNING

CCI faculty researchers are active in the science of getting computers to learn and act without specifically being programmed. Machine learning is largely responsible for all recommendation systems utilized by familiar companies which include Netflix, Amazon, Google, Alexa, Lowe’s, and any others where recommendations based on previous data are delivered.

AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS

An autonomous agent — think of a self-driving car or unmanned drone — must perceive its environment using computer vision to process data and complete tasks more efficiently and accurately than humans can. Our faculty have expertise in object tracking, robot motion planning and control, multiple robot coordination and embedded AI. CCI’s work in autonomous systems has been applied to challenges as varied as crash-scene reconstruction and the study of beach erosion.

ETHICAL, EXPLAINABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY AI

As AI expands into every corner of our lives, the risks of unethical or unfair AI, subject to biases and discrimination, grow along with it. No matter how large the data set, systems based on data generated and analyzed by humans are subject to our biases, both intended and unconscious. For example, facial recognition software has been roundly criticised for its inaccuracy as it relates to racial variations. A 2018 study published by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that some facial analysis algorithms misclassified Black women nearly 35 percent of the time. CCI is studying and developing ethical AI tools to ensure greater fairness and mitigate the impact of bias and unintended consequences in the application of what we create.

HUMAN-ASSISTIVE AI

While fully automated processes have a place in making our world easier to navigate, those systems generally lack any sense of nuance or context. To address that, CCI’s work in human-assistive AI supports the ability of humans to make better and faster decisions by using human inputs, as well as existing data, to reach conclusions. The technology acts as a guide, but final outcomes are determined by the user. Being applied by emergency-response agencies, human-assistive AI groups 911 calls by theme for dispatchers to aid in making better, quicker decisions about the kind of response required.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE AI

Demands for greater speed and accuracy in AI have led to a merging of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. CCI’s research faculty are at the forefront of this  dynamic field, designing more powerful computer systems to enable faster and more powerful AI. High performance AI increases efficiency and creates new applications for AI, which include weather prediction, economic forecasting and personalized medicine. Mastercard, for example, is leveraging high-performance AI to process massive data sets at lightning speed to identify and prevent fraudulent transactions.

Faculty utilize these advances to address problems within a range of domains, including computing infrastructure, cybersecurity, climate change, health care, smart cities, personalized education and defense. Research innovations have been supported by over $40 million in external funding over the last 5 years,  from a variety of federal  funding agencies along with support from regional partnerships in energy, transportation and health.

LOWE’S PIPELINE TO SUCCESS FOR CCI ALUMNI

The fastest-growing college in the UNC System, the largest computing college in North Carolina and one of the largest computing colleges in the nation, CCI has more than 7,400 alumni.

Many of those talented graduates find their way to Lowe’s, and if Godbole has her wish, many more will do so in the future.

“I really hope that I get to work with some of you,” Godbole said, addressing student attendees at Lowe’s Technology Day. “Whether it’s when you visit our Lowe’s office or when we come here to campus, perhaps when we are able to be physically doing joint research. Hopefully, some — or many — of you will become Lowe’s associates. That would be fantastic.”

To date, more than 660 UNC Charlotte alumni are employed with the home improvement company. Madlen Ivanova, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at CCI (’16, ’17, ’22), is now the senior manager of data science at Lowe’s. In her current role, she manages a team of 17 data science engineers charged with decreasing friction on the Lowe’s website.

“UNC Charlotte and CCI prepared me in many ways. The faculty members really inspired me to learn and develop myself. I stay in touch with some of them even today. Every class offered a new experience and taught me important concepts that I use every day.”

Madlen Ivanova '16, '17, '22

Senior Manager of Data Science, Lowe's

Four years ago, Ivanova established the University’s Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative as part of the worldwide WiDS initiative. She has been selected and served as a WIDS ambassador for Charlotte since 2018.

This March, Lowe’s served as the title sponsor for the fourth year of the WiDS Charlotte Conference, which aimed to inspire, educate and engage current and future data scientists in the Carolinas, regardless of gender, and to support women in the field by providing training, networking and mentoring opportunities.

Sharma was a featured speaker and was included on the “Inspiring and Leading Through Change” panel, along with Ivanova.

“The University plays a big role on many levels,” said Ivanova. “It has built great relationships with both big and small Charlotte companies and leads in terms of social responsibility.”

At the 2021 Women in Data Science (WiDS) Charlotte Conference, UNC Charlotte alumna Madlen Ivanova ’16, ’17, ’22 and Neelima Sharma, senior vice president of technology ecommerce, marketing and merchandising at Lowe’s, served on the “Inspiring and Leading Through Change” panel where they discussed the role that data science has played in their personal journeys. The conference was sponsored by the UNC Charlotte School of Data Science and Lowe’s.

A CONTINUATION OF SUPPORT

A longstanding partnership with UNC Charlotte and CCI’s broad expertise and large talent pool are among the reasons Lowe’s selected the Charlotte region for the Lowe’s Tech Hub and its expanded technology presence.

Research is fundamental to UNC Charlotte’s mission. New knowledge and innovative partnerships with industry leaders help us shape the future of the University, contribute to the economic growth of the region, and change the world.

Richard Tankersley

Vice Chancellor of Research and Economic Development, UNC Charlotte

Since 2013, Lowe’s has been a partner for CCI’s Business Partner program. The relationships and support provided by the members of the Business Partner program contribute greatly to CCI’s continued growth in emerging technologies, while providing access to real-world contacts and experiences for students. As a gold sponsor of CCI’s long-standing Cybersecurity Symposium, Lowe’s has empowered CCI’s ability to invite world-class speakers to campus to discuss cutting-edge security issues and best practices regarding the mitigation of security risks for businesses.

“I’m so excited that we are taking our partnership with UNC Charlotte to its next natural step,” said Godbole.

“In addition to its more tangible elements, this partnership opens up lots of possibilities for doing joint research and expanding equity, inclusivity and diversity in the fields of AI and machine learning.”

MAKING HEADLINES

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Charlotte Business Journal

Here’s why Lowe’s is donating $1.5M to UNC Charlotte’s tech programs

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Charlotte Observer

Hottest research at UNCC — artificial intelligence — gets $1.5M boost from Lowe’s

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Government Technology

Lowe’s Puts $1.5M into AI Research at UNC Charlotte

Data science answers the call

Data Science answers the call

How UNC Charlotte is responding to industry demand in Charlotte, the region and beyond.
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Data science answers the call

How UNC Charlotte is responding to industry demand in Charlotte, the region and beyond.

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Harnessing academic innovation and progressive collaboration, UNC Charlotte is meeting the demands of our nation’s workforce head on. With a record-breaking 30,000 students and counting, this growing research powerhouse is responsible for developing and educating the region’s most robust talent pipeline, creating real-world solutions for today’s evolving business and community needs.

Case in point: The UNC Charlotte School of Data Science (SDS). Data is everywhere. In fact, more data was generated in the last two years than throughout the preceding entirety of human history. This reality is helping to fuel one of the country’s most burgeoning and critically important industries — data science.

Recognizing the opportunity, UNC Charlotte launched the first School of Data Science in the Carolinas, tapping the region’s expansive ecosystem of research, industry and community engagement to apply a visionary lens to the education and application of data science. Bringing together brilliant minds through interdisciplinary partnership, the University is bridging the gap between society and technology through hands-on programming and research.

SDS Timeline

THE RUNDOWN ON DATA SCIENCE

Sorting through the data

While the driving force behind the data science revolution is the sheer amount of data being produced, at its core is the field’s desire to interpret and create meaning from data to spur innovation and inform decision making.

Why it's important

As institutions and organizations expand their analysis of data, the promise for data science is realized every day through innovation such as self-driving cars, new medical diagnoses and treatments, and more reliable weather forecasts. As society is learning, it is equally important to train a generation of professionals to engage in the larger ethical issues embedded in data science like the reinforcement of existing biases, lack of transparency in artificial intelligence, and data privacy and use.

The industry is booming

Since 2012, the field has created 8 million jobs in the United States alone and 6 million more worldwide. Glassdoor, a popular job site, rated data scientist as the No. 1 job in its annual list of 50 Best Jobs in America from 2016 to 2019.

Demand is outpacing supply

While industry growth is roaring, job demand still outpaces the supply of qualified professionals. In 2018, the United States experienced a shortage of 151,000 data scientists, a gap that is expected to jump to 250,000 by 2025.

Answering the call

In 2013, recognizing the vital role of data science to a number of disciplines and organizations, UNC Charlotte made it an institutional priority. What started as the Data Science Initiative has become the School of Data Science — the first and only academic unit of its kind in the Carolinas — which launched in early 2020.

Building the talent pipeline

Data science at UNC Charlotte earned the early support of regional business partners. Business leaders recognized the program established a talent pipeline for highly skilled data science professionals and served as an expert resource for continuing education and external research.

Top 3 Jobs in increasing demand

  1. Data analysts and scientists
  2. AI and machine learning specialists
  3. Big data specialists
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Top 3 GROWING SKILLS, WORLDWIDE

  1. Analytical thinking and innovation
  2. Active learning and learning strategies
  3. Complex problem-solving

THE SCHOOL OF DATA SCIENCE AT A GLANCE

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DEGREES OFFERED

The bachelor’s, master’s and graduate certificate programs teach skills in machine learning, data analysis, artificial intelligence, statistics, data visualization and the ethics surrounding the field of data science.

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UNIQUE IN N.C.

The new bachelor’s degree in data science, announced in January 2021, is the only undergraduate data science program currently offered in North Carolina. It is designed to accommodate new and transfer students.

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PARTNERSHIPS

A partnership with Wake Technical Community College provides a seamless transition for interested students.

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DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Placing an emphasis on diversity, 48% of enrolled undergraduate students in the School of Data Science belong to underrepresented groups.

SCHOOL OF DATA SCIENCE
UNC CHARLOTTE ACADEMICS
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TURNING NUMBERS INTO SOLUTIONS

HEALTHCARE

Blending health informatics and data visualization, a group of UNC Charlotte researchers analyzed publicly available COVID-19 data to produce this interactive dashboard to better understand the rapid spread of the virus.

POLITICS

Illustrating how data science impacts politics, political scientists used voting data to conclude how Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation might shift the Supreme Court ideologically. Their work was the focus of this Washington Post story.

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY

Deploying state-of-the-art language processing techniques to string together data points, researchers are developing an easy-to-search hub where journalists, researchers, legislative staff members and ordinary citizens can discover information about community-specific issues, such as water quality, land use or the opioid crisis — and the policy decisions that shape them.

School of Data Science In the News

ICYMI: UNC Charlotte lecturer and alumna John Tobias was recently featured in a Boston Globe story about diversity in sports analytics.

READ MORE

Beyond traditional pathways

THE SCHOOL OF DATA SCIENCE:

Leverages its location in Charlotte — one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities — to foster engaged and strong community and corporate partnerships. Corporations such as Bank of America, Lowe’s Inc., Wells Fargo, TIAA and Microsoft, now more than ever, are relying on the School of Data Science to foster well-rounded leaders who are uniquely prepared to help drive data science innovation.

Brings academia and industry together to turn data into knowledge to address society’s most pressing issues. The initiative holds the promise of creating tools to understand and highlight misinformation in social media, develop models illustrating the disparate impacts of pandemics and advance remedies for longstanding city planning challenges — allowing students to make meaningful differences in their communities and society as a whole. 

Represents a unique, dynamic collaboration among four academic colleges. The School is an industry-university-state partnership, led by the College of Computing and Informatics, the Belk College of Business, the College of Health and Human Services and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This novel and hands-on programmatic approach allows the University to recognize the evolution of data science across multiple industries.

FROM THE SOURCE: ALUMNI IN ACTION

This is a great opportunity to really make a difference in the world. With the rapid development of COVID-19, we’ve been able to see how important the FDA is in drug development, approval, and risk management. The public needs the FDA, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

Gabriel Fair ’20, M.S., Data Science and Business Analytics

Risk Based Assessment Inspection Fellow, Food and Drug Administration

Stratifyd is a company with data science in our DNA. We were founded with a bold but simple mission to enable everyone within an organization to not only uncover but also understand the hidden stories within their data. This release of our next-gen platform is a giant leap in bringing to life our vision of putting the power of data science into the hands of business users.

Derek Wang ’11, Ph.D., Computer Science

Founder and CEO, Stratifyd

Data scientists are using big data for machine learning algorithms capable of generating millions of therapeutic antibodies to find treatments for COVID-19 with a high probability of success. Conducting antibody discovery in a lab typically takes years; however, these algorithms identify antibodies that can fight against the virus in just a week.

Cynthiya Ruban ’15 M.S., Health Informatics and Analytics; ’17 Ph.D., Health Services Research

Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research Assistant Director, Xcenda

WHAT’S NEXT?

The School of Data Science represents UNC Charlotte’s far-reaching commitment to data science research and academic programming. Over the next several years, University leaders aim to further expand interdisciplinary research and diversify funding for it, and continue to focus on enrollment — in terms of overall numbers and diversity. As data science continues to influence innovation and decision making in business, politics, education, science and more, the School of Data Science at UNC Charlotte is poised to keep pace with this dynamic industry while preparing future data scientists to lead it. 

School of Data Science Information Sessions

Dean Fatma Mili: The ultimate infinite game

Dean Fatma Mili: The ultimate infinite game

The driving force behind the College of Computing and Informatics, North Carolina’s most comprehensive technology program

Dean Fatma Mili: The ultimate infinite game

The driving force behind the College of Computing and Informatics, North Carolina’s most comprehensive technology program 

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The role higher education plays as an agent for social change has been an underlying theme in Fatma Mili’s work, and serves as a guiding principle for her leadership as dean of the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI). As the fastest-growing college in the UNC System and the most comprehensive technology program in North Carolina, CCI has quickly established itself as a regional leader in computing and informatics education and continues its ascension to national prominence.

Since arriving at UNC Charlotte in 2017, Mili has been intentional about the role CCI must play in the community. She is the driving force behind the College’s efforts to meet the needs of a global tech market, the catalyst for a growing research agenda addressing society’s most pressing challenges and focused on long-term impact, and an advocate for STEM education embedded with ethics, where curriculum is designed with inclusivity and equity from the beginning.

“Education shapes society. It reflects the challenges that society faces and is tasked with addressing these challenges,” Mili said. “Now more than ever, we need our educational systems to embrace the issues of the day and to be at the forefront of addressing them.

“Inequity is at the heart of all of the challenges that we face today; making technology education equitable is an urgency for all of us,” she added.

CCI’s success is not accidental; it’s a product of the vision and leadership of its passionate and ambitious dean.

Dean Fatma Mili

A DYNAMIC COLLEGE

In 2000, UNC Charlotte established CCI to address and get ahead of the dynamic needs created by the ever-increasing presence — and dominance — of technology, not only in higher education but in the everyday sightlines of those working in the business, government and nonprofit worlds.

Spun from the William States Lee College of Engineering, CCI opened its doors with an initial enrollment of approximately 700 students. Today, with 2,320 undergraduate and 900 graduate students, CCI delivers the largest computer science program in North Carolina. 

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Now an established leader in high-tech education, CCI operates three departments that offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs: Bioinformatics and Genomics (BiG), Computer Science (CS) and Software and Information Systems (SIS). Through its programs, CCI expresses its longstanding commitment to access, equity and inclusivity, principles responsible for shaping the College’s time-earned reputation as:

An emerging research powerhouse

Averaging more than $10 million annually in research funding, which accounts for 20 percent of total UNC Charlotte research funding, CCI’s grants come from a variety of sources, most notably the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense.

A notable producer of high-quality workforce talent

With approximately 70 percent of CCI graduates — consistent with UNC Charlotte’s entire alumni base — living and working in the region, the number of qualified high tech CCI leaders across the Piedmont and beyond grows in concert with the College’s enrollment.

A cultivator of diverse students and graduates

Currently, CCI ranks first in North Carolina for female and Hispanic computer science graduates, and second for African American graduates. Equally important are more than 500 first-generation college graduates in its alumni base.

Q&A with Dean Mili

CCI Dean Fatma Mili

Mili, recently honored as the North Carolina Technology Association’s 2020 Tech Educator of the Year, arrived at UNC Charlotte after a combined 30 years at Oakland University in Michigan and Purdue University in Indiana. Her career experiences have made hers a sought-after voice in the field of computer science and the higher education landscape.

Read more about Dean Mili

Mili leads with a mindset that emphasizes staying ahead of change, rather than following it. Here she discusses the future of CCI, the importance of interdisciplinary research, the social responsibility of technology and why diversity, equity and inclusion are more important now than ever before:

As you plan for the future, what things are top of mind?

For CCI, we have been growing every year and we hope to continue that growth. In that environment, we never stop thinking about tomorrow and what to plan for next. We have been very focused on the ethical and social responsibility of our discipline, our teaching and our research. We ask ourselves, ‘What does it mean to trust information?’ Because without information we can trust, there are no decisions we’re confident to make. Computing intersects with that notion in many ways.

We’ve also introduced the School of Data Science, which is a collaboration with the Belk College of Business, College of Health and Human Services and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences — which underscores UNC Charlotte’s emphasis of collaboration and interdisciplinary work. This school touches an area that’s very much needed with a high demand and is very important for us.

And finally, COVID-19 has been an accelerator of many trends that we’ve been watching for a while, particularly the future of work and how we work. The silver lining is that it broke many barriers and forced us to learn very quickly to adapt teaching and learning. And I doubt we’ll return to the old ways. The nature of work and more importantly, the careers of our graduates will be completely different from our own and we need to prepare our graduates for this shift. We don’t always know what jobs they will hold but we must equip them with the skills to redefine their careers and lives.

What is the importance of working in interdisciplinary ways?

The issues our society is facing are interdisciplinary and our capacity to address them must be as well. We must move away from the reductionist approach to problems where each of us looks at a problem from our own discipline and take a much more holistic approach because that’s what problems demand. Working interdisciplinarily is not the goal, it’s a means to solving today’s problems.

You’re passionate about social responsibility in technology. What does that mean?

Through computing we are changing the face of civilization. Nobody gave us permission, yet we are doing it. And very often, we’re barely aware of the implications of what we do. That’s something we want to change. We want to change our research and education to take ownership of that. We cannot deploy things and deny responsibility for their use; we must be accountable. Additionally, we’re aware of the way inequity continues to grow. And the question for us is what role should we play in this and to what extent is technology contributing. We have an opportunity to completely rethink what we do and for whom, to ensure we use technology where it can help and engage in the most optimal way.

You’ve made diversity, equity and inclusion a college priority. Why?

Very often when we talk about diversity and inclusion, we’re thinking about what we gain from it. In game theory, there’s a distinction between infinite games and finite games. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purposes of continuing the play — you’re playing one game that doesn’t end. In these games, the goal is self-preservation. The focus is on defining your identity, values and, overall, your legacy.

It was very important to me that the College place equity in our infinite game. We’re not playing a numbers game or even thinking about what we gain. Our focus is defining our identity and values, so we live them every day and embed them in our culture and value system. It’s who our faculty, staff and students are. It’s our legacy.

Meet Fatma Mili

Meet Fatma Mili

Dean Fatma Mili is the driving force at CCI to meet the needs of a global tech market.
Meet Fatma Mili

Dean Fatma Mili is the driving force at CCI—as the College offers leading-edge teaching and learning; spearheads pioneering research; and collaborates with progressive community, regional, national and international partners—to meet the needs of a global tech market.

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Monday, April 9, 2018

“PUBLIC. RESEARCH. URBAN. UNIVERSITY.”

Fatma Mili, dean of the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI)—the fastest-growing college in the UNC System and most comprehensive technology program in North Carolina—is emphatic about the reason she came to UNC Charlotte.

“This is a university completely embedded in the community and takes its responsibility toward the community very seriously. Every time someone says ‘Charlotte does not have a research university,’ we must remind them otherwise.”

Through programs and partnerships, Mili plans to build on UNC Charlotte’s collaboration with the city to realize its urban mission completely and effectively as an estimated 3,500 new CCI graduates leave the University over the next five years to begin careers, contributing to the growth of Charlotte’s tech sector.

“We must embrace our role as change agents, especially at a time when our challenges require novel solutions that demand a long view.”

Mili believes those in her field have an opportunity to make higher education more relevant, reformist and responsive to the great needs facing society. She points out that research underway at CCI in cyber security, data analysis and robotics can be applied to addressing the needs of cities like Charlotte to make them more livable, commutable and resilient.

“We can’t do it alone with computing, but no discipline can do it without computing.”

Mili arrived at UNC Charlotte last August after a combined 30 years at Oakland University in Michigan and Purdue University. If you talk to her for any length of time, you realize quickly that she believes it is the responsibility of those in the computing and technology fields to consider the consequences of their work and related findings.

“Everything we do has ethical implications and we must own them.”

​Listen to Dean Mili on WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks” as she expounds on the University’s expanding research and cultural leadership.

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CCI student Terrence Wells and a childhood friend enter app in Action on Google Challenge.

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The 2018 Analytics Frontiers Conference highlights CCI research and impact.

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The 2018 TIAA Lecture Series features Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code.

Mili’s own research covers broadening participation in STEM, making higher education sync with the needs and expectations of society, and evidence-based findings about human motivation and learning. She holds the view that colleges and universities are duty bound to lead the fight for gender, ethnic and socioeconomic equity—and is committed to finding ways to make computing and technology appealing to and inclusive of women and minorities.

This aligns with the goal of CCI’s Women in Computing Initiative to increase the number of women undergraduate majors to 450 students and grow proportionally the number of women graduates. CCI is a step closer to achieving that goal with support from the newly created NorthState CCI Mentorship Program  and others in Charlotte’s business community who understand the challenges of diversity.

“The College of Computing and Informatics relies on strong partners who share a common vision for the role of technology in society, understand the importance and challenges of broadening participation by women and minorities, and have a strong commitment to change the status quo.”

Mirroring a national trend, CCI enrollment has doubled over the past ten years with projections for further growth.

“UNC Charlotte has a mission that centers on access and excellence. We also have youth, speed, agility and innovation on our side. We may not yet be at the front of the race but we’re running the fastest.”

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