Last week, the university announced the gift would be used to create an endowed professorship in artificial intelligence, a field of study expected to produce sought-after jobs in the public health sector, infrastructure and banking.
“AI and computer science are some the hottest areas in the job market and for good reason,” said Kerop Janoyan, university provost. “They touch every aspect of everyday life — health, banking and the supply chain.”
Since 2020, the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering has offered computer science degrees with a concentration in artificial intelligence and a certificate in cybersecurity. The AI concentration is the first to be offered in Southern California at the bachelor’s degree level.
The hope, Janoyan said, is to grow the university’s current program and bring in an AI expert who can teach students basic industry skills that will better prepare them to land jobs right out of college.
Current demand for people trained in AI and cybersecurity far outpaces the number of job candidates, according to Computer Science and Computer Engineering Department Chairperson Seta Whitby.
A nationwide search for a full-time endowed professor in AI will begin in spring, the university said.
This is the third faculty position within the College of Arts and Sciences to be endowed by the Fletcher Jones Foundation. Previous awards support an endowed chair in computational biology and an endowed professor in biology.
The gift also presents an opportunity for the university to alleviate the shortage of women and people of color in the technology job sector, said Janoyan. As a Hispanic Serving Institute, the university is hoping these new programs open up opportunities for traditionally underrepresented student groups in the STEM field.
President Devorah Lieberman said in a news release she hopes to see the university’s “diverse pipeline of graduates in these in-demand fields.”
Adding to these efforts, the university recently announced a partnership with information technology company Infoblox that will provide a certification program for students interested in technology careers. The program aims to grow minority representation by offering networking opportunities and resource groups.
“All of this is not an overnight thing, but professors in our department have been ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and what skills students need to succeed in the future job market,” Janoyan said. “We hope it’s the beginning of more similar partnerships.”
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