The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management (formerly the J.D. Edwards Honors Program in Computer Science and Management) is a specialized honors program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln that focuses on computer science and management. It was founded in May 1998 by Ed McVaney, co-founder of the JD Edwards company. With his gift of $32 million to the university, McVaney charged the school with setting up a world-class program to train the next generation of business leaders.[1] In June 2008, the program was renamed after Jeff Raikes in recognition for his lead gift in a $20 million fundraising campaign.[2] The program is selective with admissions, accepting about 32 high-ability students every year.[3][4][5][6]
The Raikes School's curriculum focuses on integrating a computer science and business education. It aims to instruct students on innovation, entrepreneurship, and working in a team.[7] Students are led by a faculty with diverse backgrounds, such as business owners and research experts.[8]
Curriculum edit
The Raikes School incorporates computer science and business management into one integrated curriculum.[7] It prides itself with providing an education balanced in technology and management with focus on leadership, communications, and collaboration.[9] This program offers an undergraduate program that complements business, computer science, and computer engineering majors.
Design Thinking has become a focus for students and faculty as the Raikes School shifts its focus to innovation. Silicon Prairie News quotes previous director, David Keck, describes Design Thinking as "teaching them decision-making and problem-solving in a scenario of relatively incomplete information."[10]
Third- and fourth-year students work on real-world projects for companies in Design Studio, a year-long class in which students divide into teams, meet with clients, agree on specifications, develop the product, and in many cases perform quality assurance after delivery. Design Studio gives members of the program real-world experience designing and writing software, working in teams, meeting deadlines, and communicating with clients. The project comes together at the Design Studio showcase, where Raikes students present their final projects publicly.[11][12]
Freshman Year[13] edit
| Semester | Classification | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Communications I | Fundamentals of Communication | Learn the basics of effective writing, editing and presentations |
| Fall | Computer Science I | Problem Solving Essentials | Practice computational thinking with programming to more effectively solve problems |
| Fall | Design Thinking | Introduction to Design Thinking | Introduction to an approach to problems employing a user-focused, iterative, team-based process to promote cross-discipline innovation |
| Fall | Leadership I | Fundamentals of Leadership | Learn the essentials of leadership and it’s application to a variety of settings |
| Spring | Foundations of Business I | Financial Accounting | Learn the practice and application of accounting via accounting information systems |
| Spring | Foundations of Business II | Economics and Modeling | Learn economic principles and modeling techniques that are used to address innovation in an evolving economy |
| Spring | Computer Science II | Introduction to Discrete Structures | Introduce data structures and discrete mathematics to increase computational problem solving ability |
| Spring | Communications II | Technical Communication | Learn the basics of effective writing, editing and presentations |
Sophomore Year[14] edit
| Semester | Classification | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Business Systems and Operations I | Modeling Business Solutions | Learn how more sophisticated modeling techniques can be used to solve complex problems |
| Fall | Commuications III | Applied Communications | Learn professional and effective written, spoken and visual communication |
| Fall | Computer Science III | Data Structures and Algorithms | Learn advanced data structures and algorithms that solve common problems, as well as algorithm-based approaches to solving new problems |
| Spring | Business Systems and Operations II | Statistical Models in Business | Develop a greater understanding of the role statistics make in modeling complex business decisions |
| Spring | Communications IV | Management Communications | Learn professional and effective written, spoken and visual communication |
| Spring | Data Science I | Introduction to Data Modeling | Learn how methods for storing, searching and displaying large amounts of data can enhance security while making you more productive |
| Spring | Software Engineering I | Introduction to Software Engineering | An introduction to the theory, methods, and best practices of large-scale system design and development |
Junior Year[15] edit
| Semester | Classification | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Advanced Topics in Business I | Introduction to Finance | Introduces the fundamental principles of risk and return, valuation, corporate finance, financial securities, risk management, market hypotheses, and private venture financing |
| Fall | Leadership II | Teams | Learn the essentials of leadership and it’s application to a variety of settings. |
| Fall | Software Engineering II | Development Operations | Learn the fundamentals of engineering complex software systems in teams |
| Spring | Advanced Topics in Business II | Innovation in the Economy | An introduction to using behavioral models to reason about complex business systems |
| Spring | Data Science II | Multi-agent Systems | Learn and apply a multiagent paradigm to solve complex problems |
| Spring | Software Engineering III | Design Methods | Explore advanced topics in the design and development of complex software systems |
Senior Year[16] edit
| Semester | Classification | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Advanced Topics in Business III | Principles of Marketing | Provide an introduction to the fundamentals of marketing and its role in management |
| Fall | Leadership III | Communication | Learn the essentials of leadership and it’s application to a variety of settings |
| Fall | Software Engineering IV | Software Architecture | Develop an understanding of the role of architecture in software engineering and learn to apply these concepts to real-world development projects |
| Spring | Data Science III | Database Architecture | Learn how to utilize data systems in the implementation of software systems |
Faculty edit
Executive Director of the Raikes School edit
Dr. Stephen C. Cooper was selected in 2015 as the Executive Director of the Raikes School.[17] Cooper graduated from Cornell University in 1988. He went on to receive a Master's Degree and a Doctorate from Syracuse University. Previously, Cooper worked as a professor at Purdue University and, most recently, Stanford University. In a recent interview with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Cooper said, “I’m looking forward to working with many of the amazingly talented students at the university and in the state of Nebraska, helping them to succeed, and in sharing my enthusiasm for computing, technology, and innovation/entrepreneurship.”[17]
Praise edit
The program has consistently received praise from leaders in the Information Technology industry.
Bill Gates said in September 2005 during a presentation to the program in the Kauffman Center:
I think this program is a great program. It really speaks very directly to a challenge that Microsoft sees, which is that we get lots of great engineers and we get lots of people who’ve got good business backgrounds, but we rarely get people who combine those skills, and particularly as you move up the ranks in Microsoft, the number of people who’ve got that background really are bringing those two skill sets to bear. It turns out the world at large has a great shortage so seeing a program like this makes a lot of sense to me and I can guarantee you the opportunities you’ll have will be quite phenomenal and make whatever hard work is required in the program well worth the energy you put into it.[18]
The Lincoln Journal Star credits the Raikes School for retaining talent in the technology industry.
The Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management has also helped keep in town some of Lincoln’s brightest lights.[19]
National Public Radio interviewed David Graff, one of Hudl's founders, about the decision to keep their company in Lincoln.
CEO and co-founder David Graff says the company could have moved anywhere, and had offers to relocate, but it stayed in Lincoln because "we really like the access to the University." Hudl has 35 interns and most are from the Raikes School (named for Nebraska alum and former Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes).[20]
In another interview by the Omaha World Herald, David Graff again discusses the company's decision to stay in Lincoln.
In describing why the company chose to remain in Lincoln, Graff said a central reason is the support Hudl receives from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specifically the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management.[9]
Scholarships edit
The program awards full or partial scholarships to incoming students to cover room and board. All incoming students are also members of the University Honors Program and receive a stipend by the Honors Textbook Scholarship. Most incoming Raikes School students come to Nebraska with tuition scholarships; these may come from external sources, such as the National Merit Scholarship, or from the university, such as the full-tuition Regents Scholarship (only available for Nebraska high school graduates).
In 2015, Hudl established the Hudl Scholarship Fund through the University. It donated $500,000 for annual scholarships for students of the Raikes School.[21][22] The University news reports that the donors "view the scholarship as a way to recognize and thank the university for the education and support they received as students." This is the largest donation the Raikes School has received from its' graduates.
Esther L. Kauffman Academic Residential Center edit
Students live in the Esther L. Kauffman Academic Residential Center, which is named for McVaney's mother-in-law. The building is a learning community with state-of-the-art classrooms on the first floor and living accommodations on the second and third floors. Kauffman is located in the middle of the UNL city campus, directly across the green space from the student union. It is often featured in University promotions.
The rooms are suite-style, each with its own bathroom, and progressing from one room up to three rooms between each pair of students. Kauffman offers multiple study lounges and break-out rooms for teams as well.
Alumni edit
Graduates have started their own businesses in the State of Nebraska, such as Hudl and Pickit.[22][23]
References edit
- ^ The Scarlet: Building for Tomorrow 2001-04-19.
- ^ Ross, Timberly (2008-06-12). "NU Regents rename program after charity CEO". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "UNL's Jeffrey S. Raikes School announces 2009 entering class". 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ "UNL's Jeffrey S. Raikes School announces 2010 entering class". 2010-06-03. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ "UNL's Jeffrey S. Raikes School announces 2011 entering class". 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ "Fall entering class at UNL's Raikes School announced". 2012-06-08. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ a b "UNL's Raikes School looks toward "design thinking" in its third iteration - Silicon Prairie News". Silicon Prairie News. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Ian Cottingham". cse.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ a b "World-Herald editorial: Growing tech, the economy at UNL". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "UNL's Raikes School looks toward "design thinking" in its third iteration - Silicon Prairie News". Silicon Prairie News. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Raikes School students unveil fruits of yearlong Design Studio projects - Silicon Prairie News". Silicon Prairie News. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Raikes Design Studio students share project challenges, next steps - Silicon Prairie News". Silicon Prairie News. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management". raikes.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management". raikes.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management". raikes.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management". raikes.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ a b "UNL taps Stanford's Stephen Cooper to lead Raikes School | UNL Newsroom | University of Nebraska–Lincoln". news.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ http://raikes.unl.edu/video/bill.gates.mp3
- ^ "Why Lincoln is worth paying attention to". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "Silicon Prairie: Tech Startups Find A Welcoming Home In The Midwest". NPR.org. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ a b "Hudl creates scholarship for Raikes School students | UNL Newsroom | University of Nebraska–Lincoln". news.unl.edu. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ a b c "Hudl gifts $500K to UNL Raikes School for annual scholarships". Silicon Prairie News. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
- ^ "UNL students' startup helps charities and nonprofits through coupons - Silicon Prairie News". Silicon Prairie News. Retrieved 2015-11-04.