From Jay Collier, program director, 4/29/2013
Here is what we've accomplished over the past month, building on the phenomenal work of our Phase 1 volunteers.
We've wrapped up this year's round of networking receptions at 5 public university campuses, all of which attracted more students and business representatives than expected. The final reception was conducted via video link between UNUM and the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
We have inventoried over 50 computing and information technology internships at leading Maine organizations. As the summer 2013 internships are filled, we will be posting a permanent list of internship providers, with contact information, on our website for students to consult throughout the year.
The first version of a student success survey is nearing finalization and will be sent from the chancellor to every CS, IT, and CE student at our public universities to learn how to increase support for, and retain, these students. It will be re-released periodically to identify trends for successful academic supports.
We have begun reaching out to private and community colleges to learn how each one is building its academic capacity for computing and IT students. We are also reaching out to middle- and high-school leaders, educators, and counselors to identify programs that steward students toward these professions. And we're developing online services to share resources, collaborate, and exchange knowledge.
We will be holding a Thank You Reception to honor our volunteers on Wednesday, June 5, at WEX in Portland. Mike Dubyak of WEX, Jim Page of the University of Maine System, and many of our CEOs will be joining us.
Finally, I have been interviewing as many Phase 1 volunteers as my time allows, and I welcome inquiries, insights, and suggestions as phase 2 is coming into greater focus. I am also asking every volunteer to share recommendations along with their reception RSVP at http://bit.ly/12xMjGK.
I look forward to working with you on this next phase of Project>Login!
