Clemson leads U.S. in recruiting tenure-track black faculty in computer science

Published: August 27, 2012

African-American faculty in the School of Computing include Kyla McMullen (left), Christina Gardner, Juan Gilbert, Damon Woodard, Shaundra Daily and Sekou Remy. image by: Clemson University

CLEMSON — About 10 percent of the African-American computer science faculty and Ph.D. students at the nation’s research universities are at Clemson University.

Clemson has recruited six African-American tenure-track faculty members in its School of Computing, according to Juan Gilbert, chairman of the Human-Centered Computing Division in the school. There are 56 total in the field around the country, according to a Computing Research Association survey.

They include assistant professors Shaundra Daily, who has a Ph.D. from MIT; Christina Gardner, Ph.D. from Georgia Tech; Kyla McMullen, Ph.D. from Michigan; Sekou Remy, Ph.D. from Georgia Tech; and associate professor Damon Woodard, Ph.D. from Notre Dame. 

 “This means 10 percent of all African-American computing science faculty at research institutions around the country are at Clemson University, “ Gilbert said.

The U.S. Department of Education reported that only 5.4 percent of full-time faculty members at degree-granting institutions in 2009 were African-American.  

Clemson also has 10 percent of the African-American Ph.D. candidates in its School of Computing.

There is a national shortage of qualified minority students entering and completing computer science graduate programs.

“When you have underrepresented individuals developing ideas in areas like computer science, you find that those ideas are often different from the norm,” Gilbert said. “Our diversity helps us generate different ideas to real-world problems. Our diversity is a source of inspiration.”

Leon Wiles, chief diversity officer at Clemson, points to the Human-Centered Computing Division as a leading example of inclusivity for students and faculty at a major research institution.

"This is an outstanding achievement that moves Clemson’s diversity agenda forward,” Wiles said. “We’re ecstatic about the progress Dr. Gilbert’s program has made and excited to see diversity spread throughout other programs at Clemson as well."

The National Center for Women and Informational Technology (NCWIT) also touted Gilbert’s accomplishments by honoring him with the 2012 NCWIT Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. The award honors faculty across the United States who encourage and advance undergraduate research and student achievement.

“I am extremely humbled and honored. This award recognizes contributions that are benefiting our nation and when you can help your country, that’s significant,” said Gilbert, who is an IDEaS professor in the School of Computing and a professor in the automotive engineering department. 

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