In January of 2021, after two years of construction, the Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering opened to fanfare. Today, the edifice that looms over the south side of Western Colorado University seems to carry as many rumors as it does students. The program was developed when Western alum Paul M. Rady, who graduated in 1978, donated $80 million to the university to create a state-of-the-art facility to house the program. This donation marked the largest college donation at Western and the second-largest in the state of Colorado. The program coordinates with the University of Colorado Boulder, which allows students in the Rady program to attend undergrad at Western while simultaneously getting a CU Computer Science or Engineering degree. The announcement of the school and construction of the building were met with high praise along with aesthetic and deconstructive criticism. To this day, the Rady school continues to be a hot topic of debate among the Western community.
Top O’ the World decided to ask students, faculty and staff how they feel about the program. All were asked the same question and given the choice to have their quote accredited or to remain anonymous.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
Question:
What are your thoughts about the Paul M. Rady computer science and engineering program and its effect on Western Colorado University?
“The Rady program offers an exceptional opportunity for students interested in studying computer science or mechanical engineering from a top-tier, internationally renowned institution. The partnership’s advantages include providing small class sizes where students can form close relationships with dedicated teaching professors and avoid feeling lost in large, crowded classes. Enrollment in computer science and mathematics courses at Western has surged, with some students opting to pursue their bachelor’s degree in computer science at Western instead of through the CU partnership..” —Dr. Marc Rubin, assistant computer science professor, Western
“I do not necessarily [think it’s] beneficial for the school because there’s a separation between people in the program and people who are not in the program. I personally have experienced going to career fairs, job fairs, and them [Boulder students] not wanting to speak to me because I am not in the Rady program as a computer scientist. They would rather speak to a kid [student] going to Boulder. So, it has its benefits, but I don’t think it’s for everybody.” —Rhys Jordan, Western computer science student
“I think that the program itself is a good competitive engineering program, it’s very well-funded, perhaps too well-funded. The machine shop is very well-appointed and all the classes are good. here’s some things that I am not stoked about, like some lack of support for certain classes, and embedded tutors. As far as the culture as a whole, it feels like there’s a pretty big divide and I think more can be done to make the two camps feel like a cohesive unit.” —Anonymous engineering and computer science program student
“It really has brought a lot of collaboration to Western. We have direct collaboration with Art, Business, ENVS, the MGM program and HEAP and we are constantly looking to bring more collaborations and partnerships into the program. This allows us also to bring diversity of thought through technical expertise of our students. Specifically, the engineering aspect is great for problem-solving and different diversity of thought. We are really grateful to be here, and we love being on Western’s campus [as they] really opened up with open arms. —Dr. Jennifer Blacklock, director of the Western-CU Boulder Partnership Program
“On one hand, it did bring in an entirely new amount of students. But we are in the early stages. So, there are so many problems that haven’t been anticipated, some of which it was really hard to finish the degree in four years if you aren’t on the correct timeline. You can’t transfer over, and there is not necessarily a good Western alternative, especially if you are in the engineering program. For computer science, [you will] have classes that are online or taught by the same Western faculty but [you’re] paying CU Boulder prices. It doesn’t make sense, especially when you are getting a similar education from Western. But I know a lot of people who would stand by having “more distinguished professors” and the [CU Boulder] name on the degree. I know it was really helpful for out-of-state students because if they are able to apply out-of-state and pay CU Boulder prices, but for in-state students, it does not make sense.” —Anonymous Western computer science student
“The program has expanded our curriculum, as we did not have an engineering school. It’s connected us with a premiere institution at CU that’s fostered some goodwill between the two institutions. And it allowed us to meet the state workforce needs. We saw that the engineering and computer science areas were not producing enough engineers and computer scientists to fill the spots. So, we were importing a lot of talent from around the country to fill Colorado jobs. This has allowed us to help address that shortfall within the state workforce. We have a certain independence, a grit, if you will, amongst our student population which is an edge that they get to carry into the workforce that is unique to Western..” —Mike LaPlante, vice president for advancement for Western Colorado University
