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Marietta is one of 35 Ohio colleges and universities selected to receive the new Choose Ohio First scholarship aimed at supporting undergraduate Computer Science and Information Systems students. Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner announced in December that Marietta College will receive the $493,920 five-year grant.

The department currently has 12 Computer Science majors, one Computer Science minor, five Information Systems majors and one Information Systems minor.

“We’re very proud of our Computer Science and Information Systems students. Our graduates are finding great careers shortly after graduating,” says Dr. Matt Williamson ’07, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. “This is because our core curriculum prepares our students for the rapidly evolving field of computing. In addition, our liberal arts education, through our new General Education curriculum, helps our students learn the analytical and critical thinking skills they need to thrive in their occupations. We’re excited for this grant because it allows us to invite Ohio students who otherwise might not be able to afford the cost of college to have the same opportunities as our students and our graduates.”

Marietta’s Grants and Foundation Officer, Chantal Centofanti-Fields, applied for the grant to help recruit quality students from Ohio to Marietta’s new Computer Science major as well as the existing Information Systems major.

“Most businesses and organizations now have their own Information Technology department for managing computing hardware and software,” Centofanti-Fields said. “This is especially true in the state of Ohio. Even with these career opportunities, there are not enough college graduates with a computing degree to meet the growing job demand.”