Dear Students, Faculty, Staff, Parents, and Aumni/ae,

Happy New Year! And to students, a warm welcome back to campus, be it in person or online.

As the spring semester begins, I wanted to let you know that at the end of this academic year I have chosen to step down as Dean of Khoury College to assume a new role at Northeastern as the Dean for Inclusive Computing. The university has formed a search committee and is actively searching for the next dean of Khoury.

The mission of “CS for Everyone” is my passion, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to make diversity in tech a major focus during my time as Khoury dean. In July 2019, the Center for Inclusive Computing was launched in an effort to address the participation and status of women in computing with a national focus. Starting in July, I will turn my efforts full time to the Center’s activities and oversight.

Our ambition is to partner with 70+ colleges and universities across the U.S. to substantially increase the number of women majoring in computing and to advance research on what leads to inclusive computing education for women and other populations that have been historically marginalized in this field.

Meanwhile, at Khoury College, faculty and staff have persisted in providing students with robust academic and experiential opportunities. On par with prior semesters, 1100+ students earned a position on the fall Dean’s List—in spite of the pandemic. Furthermore, the Khoury academic advising and co-op teams had an astounding 4500+ student meetings from July through December 2020 to help them with their academic and co-op plans. In addition to hosting webinars focused on remote work for both employers and our students, advisors leaned in to deliver curriculum and webinars on networking and finding positions beyond NUworks, the Northeastern co-op jobs database. Our co-op advisors and business development team have continued to place many students during the pandemic, as we work to deepen and grow more co-op relationships across the U.S. and internationally. We are committed to working with each of our students to find the best outcomes for all.

As we launch the spring semester, we re-commit ourselves to delivering a high-quality education to students in all our programs. During this extraordinary time that has tested us all, I want to thank you for your understanding and patience, as well as your faith in me, our faculty and staff, and the promise of our wonderful students.

Sincerely yours,

Carla E. Brodley