Academic partnerships to attract and retain talent to Maine

Partnerships with industry, academia, government, and nonprofit organizations are at the heart of everything at the Roux Institute. Over the past 15 months, the Roux Institute has forged partnerships with academic institutions from across the state with the goal of providing Maine undergraduates from diverse backgrounds with access to graduate education pathways, so that they don’t have to leave the state to continue their educational journey.

Expanding curricular opportunities in Computer Science for Maine undergraduates

Last year, the Roux Institute partnered with Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, a leading undergraduate liberal arts institution with a student population of around 2,000. This spring, the Roux Institute offered Bates students access to courses in the Align Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS) program with the ability to apply those credits toward a graduate degree from the Roux Institute.

Manager of Academic Partnerships and Programs at the Roux Institute, Elena Coronado said, “We reached out to Bates based on their reputation for academic excellence and innovation and are thrilled that they have been willing to work with us to expand opportunities for their students. We are innovating together, with the goal of creating new opportunities for students, and creating new pathways to retain excellent, highly motivated, thoughtful, and skilled students in Maine.”

Dean of the Faculty at Bates College, Malcolm Hill says, “Our approach to education is capacious. We want our students to explore all fields of inquiry and have a breadth of understanding. The reality is that our world is becoming more and more digital and requires technical skills regardless of your career. Figuring out a way to harness the strength of a liberal arts education and align it with what the Roux is doing is super exciting.”

Access to advanced technology graduate degrees

The Roux Institute believes that much like an MBA, Master of Science in computing degrees should be accessible to undergraduates from any discipline and regardless of prior experience in computing.

About access to computer science programs, Coronado says, “Computer science is a rapidly growing field, and we are committed to providing inclusive opportunities for underrepresented groups such as women, and first-generation college attendees to lead the future of this industry. Companies have an acute need for workforce talent with diverse perspectives, in addition to computational and technical expertise. This combination of experience is powerful and can set our region apart.”

David Akinyemi, a member of the Bates class of 2021 and student taking CS 5002: Discrete and Data Structures at the Roux Institute, says of the opportunity, “I took advantage of this opportunity because of my constant interest in and fascination with computer science and technological innovation. I am excited to develop technical skills and earn graduate credit while completing my undergraduate degree. To be a part of this new community allows us to take advantage of the many resources that are offered at both the Roux and Northeastern.”

Strength of a liberal arts perspective

Coronado shares, “We are excited to see what the next step will be for students who are just diving into computer science for the first time. Bates has been an amazing partner because not only are they willing to think outside the box and try new things, but their students have also been well-prepared to take on challenging graduate level coursework as juniors and seniors. Students have shared that they enjoy the pace of the material, and the personalized attention they have received from faculty and our learner services team.”

Opportunities to stay in Maine

Of the opportunity to stay in Maine, Coronado says, “Through this program, we hope to expand not only demographic diversity, but diversity of thought in tech. Our employer partners are eager for talent with critical thinking, creativity, ethics, and communication skills in addition to technical skills. Students with a combination of experience from both a humanities and technical education who pursue careers in Maine offer a unique value that can establish Maine as the newest tech hub on the east coast.”

Says Hill, “This program has the potential to open really powerful career opportunities locally, and that invigorates the area in a number of ways, both tangible and intangible. You not only recruit faculty and students who enrich our intellectual life, but there may be careers that are spawned and businesses that are born—both of which will hopefully have a foothold in the area and want to stay.”