SCE Scholarship Donors & Students Honored at Recognition Luncheon

Enrollment at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Computing and Engineering has grown an impressive 76 percent since 2010. Scholarships have played a key role in that growth, and the school recently honored funders and celebrated scholars at the 2014 Donor and Student Scholarship Recognition Luncheon.

Each year, SCE awards more than 70 scholarships to students in computer science, engineering and information technology. Scholarships provide vital support to students. They also help ensure UMKC is able to attract the best and brightest minds, regardless of income.

“Scholarships make a difference in how students spend their time,” said SCE Alumnus Arturo Pino. “Engineering school is hard and is made harder when you have to work to pay for tuition.”

Computing and engineering are some of the fastest growing career fields. UMKC is within 20 miles of 250 engineering and computing firms, putting the campus in the heart of one of America’s premier engineering cities.

“The people needed to fill these jobs over the next decade are in this room,” said UMKC Chancellor Leo Morton at the luncheon.

With more than 1,700 students, SCE is the third largest school at UMKC, said UMKC Vice Provost and SCE Dean Kevin Z. Truman, Ph.D., F.ASCE. The school has also experienced a 75 percent increase in scholarships since 2008.

“We have some real advantages being an urban university,” Truman said. SCE works with more than 100 computing and engineering firms. By partnering with these Kansas City businesses, the school is able to attract industry leaders and adjunct professors, guest lecturers and mentors and provide students with internships and employment opportunities.

In addition to being in a great region for internship and career opportunities, Truman said program improvements at the school have also helped drive the enrollment growth. The school hired more faculty and created a dual-degree program leading students to undergraduate degrees in both a liberal arts major and a professional engineering, computer science or information technology degree. Students enter UMKC SCE following three or four years at their first institution. Those who follow the guidelines and meet the admission requirements will earn a degree from their first institution and a degree from UMKC following two years of study at SCE.

The graduate and doctoral programs give professionals the opportunity to advance their careers with further education. Continuing education programs help engineers, computer scientists, consultants, managers and other science professionals stay up-to-date on the latest research and technologies. SCE also partners with Kansas City companies and organizations to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and outreach to middle and high school students throughout the region.

As science and engineering fields continue to grow, Truman plans to continue growing the School of Computing and Engineering, and its partnerships and network of supporters in Kansas City.

|Bridget Koan, Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications