Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

It Girls Weekend Program Expanding to Two-Week Summer College Course Experience

Friday, December 13, 2019, By Diane Stirling
Share
School of Information StudiesSummer CollegeUniversity College

An innovative School of Information Studies (iSchool) program that gives high school women an introduction to information technology (IT) studies and careers will now provide a more full-fledged version of that IT immersion through a formal, two-week summer pre-college experience.

female students walking on campus

Participants from a past session of the IT girls program.

The It Girls program is shifting from a 27-hour weekend program managed entirely by the iSchool to one of a longer duration whose administrative details are being coordinated by Syracuse University’s Summer College program. It Girls will be available as a two-week academic program experience when the summer session begins in June 2020.

The changeover permits iSchool faculty, staff and students, who have been hosting the weekend event in entirety, to focus exclusively on creating and delivering an extended version of the program’s IT content. University College, which oversees the Summer College program, will assume all program administrative and operational responsibilities.

The expanded model will provide a more in-depth academic experience for participants, according to Stephanie Worden, assistant director of undergraduate recruitment at the iSchool and Christopher Cofer, executive director of Summer@Syracuse.

Introduction to Information Technology

The iSchool developed the It Girls program in 2011 to create a pathway for high school girls to have an introduction to the field of IT and consider it as an academic and career path. The program packed a college orientation and campus tour, faculty-led mini course, team hackathon event, inspirational speakers and social activities into a 27-hour schedule.

Participants could become acquainted with iSchool staff, faculty, current students and alumni who work in the field, and become informed about the School’s academic offerings. Another essential element was the connection to women who have been successful in the field, Worden said. More than 700 young women have enjoyed the experience since the program’s start.

Those elements will continue as part of the new offering, however, the longer format will permit students to experience a more realistic sense of college life while increasing their exposure to classroom activities and time dedicated to IT-focused learning.

“University College is excited to partner with the iSchool to offer It Girls in Summer College,” added Cofer. “We believe in its mission and love supporting this partnership. The infrastructure Summer College has within University College is the place for the It Girls program simply because that is what we do; our sole focus year-round is designing and delivering these types of programs to high school students, so it’s a perfect match,” he said.

“It was clear that as the information industry expands and becomes more prominent in peoples’ lives, we needed to show future students an expanded experience reflective of current academic and career possibilities,” Worden said.

Summer College’s “Mini University”

Summer College at Syracuse University has hosted about 700 high school students for more than 60 pre-college credit and non-credit study programs and campus immersion experiences each season, Cofer said. On-campus and commuter student attendees originate from 35 states and 25 countries.

The pre-college program operates as a mini university, administering all essential services, including a two-day campus orientation, housing and dining services, and staffing student living, health, registration and academic affairs operations.

“Summer College attendees experience significant personal growth, a heightened sense of readiness for college, more excitement about the college experience and an understanding of what it takes to succeed in college-level courses,” Cofer says. “It’s a very positive experience for them. They say they want to stay longer and that they love Syracuse University.”

Summer College celebrates its 60th year in 2020, with programs varying from one to six weeks in duration. Summer College offers scholarships and financial assistance. Worden said that scholarship assistance will be available to qualifying students.

It Girls will run this summer in Session I from June 27 through July 10. The program joins four other Summer College course offerings whose content is provided by the iSchool, including:

  • Coding: Learning to Code
  • Information Reporting & Presentation: Engage, Persuade and Succeed
  • Social Media Strategy and Analytics
  • Cybersecurity: Hackathon Challenge

Online applications for Summer College open Dec. 16. More information is available at summercollege.syr.edu.

  • Author

Diane Stirling

  • Recent
  • Rockell Brown Burton Joins Newhouse School as Associate Dean of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
    Monday, May 23, 2022, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Corinne Sartori Joins Libraries as Accessibility Specialist
    Monday, May 23, 2022, By Cristina Hatem
  • Eight New Recruits Begin Campus Peace Officer Academy
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Christine Weber
  • Media Tip Sheet: Consequences of China Lockdown
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies
    Thursday, May 19, 2022, By News Staff

More In STEM

Dean Rajiv ‘Raj’ Dewan to Step Down as Dean of the School of Information Studies

Rajiv “Raj” Dewan, dean of the School of Information Studies, has announced he will conclude his deanship on June 30, 2022. Dewan plans to return to full-time faculty duties while continuing his research. David Seaman, dean of Syracuse University Libraries…

Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences Departments Come Together on Diversity and Engagement Initiatives

In 1948, Professor James Hope Birnie became Syracuse University’s first African American faculty member in biology, teaching here until 1951. He was also one of its first biology faculty members to be supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)….

Black Hole Image Shows Einstein Was Right, Once Again

Today a team of astronomers announced they successfully captured the first direct image of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Duncan Brown is the Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics at Syracuse University’s College of…

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering Professor’s Research Team Receives Multiple Awards at Society for Biomaterials Conference

Biomedical and chemical engineering Professor Mary Beth Monroe attended the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) 2022 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, with Ph.D. students Anand Vakil, Henry Beaman, Changling Du and Maryam Ramezani, master’s student Natalie Petryk ’21, G’22 and undergraduate students Caitlyn…

Viewing a Microcosm Through a Physics Lens

“What can physics offer biology?” This was how Alison Patteson, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ physics department and a faculty member in the BioInspired Institute, began the explanation of why her physics lab was studying bacteria. In…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2022 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.