Computer science and engineering emerged some 30 years ago as a promising new field for engineering research and development. Today, the discipline stands as a cornerstone of the field of engineering. Here in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at USF, we take pride in the fact that, as the youngest of the College of Engineering's six departments, we have, in our first 25 years of existence, shown an impressive record of achievement. We are a young and energetic department establishing ourselves as one of the premiere computer science and engineering departments in the nation.

The department was founded in 1980, opening its doors to students during the 1980-81 academic year. Initially, we were housed on the sixth floor of the campus library, a location that quickly proved inadequate for our rapidly expanding program. In 1987 we gladly relocated to the newly built Engineering Building II, which we now share with the Department of Electrical Engineering. Today we have 27 faculty members, many of whom are active researchers; seven staff members; and some 584 students. Our graduates are well received and have been successful with careers in high-tech industry, national laboratories, and at major universities worldwide.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Our department offers degrees in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Information Systems. We are one of only a small number of departments in the United States that offers accredited degrees in both Computer Science and Computer Engineering. We are committed to encouraging and upholding academic and scholarly excellence in all of our undergraduate and graduate programs. We realize how important it is to graduate students who can respond quickly and imaginatively to the changing needs of the workplace, which is why we offer students a wide variety of opportunities to experience real world professional situations. Our undergraduate students are given the opportunity to become involved in research activities through a college-wide Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, exposing them to a hands-on, leading-edge research experience working with faculty and other students in an array of technologically advanced areas.

LEADERSHIP IN RESEARCH AND SERVICE
As a department we are dedicated to the pursuit of scholarly excellence in both research and teaching, as well as an ethical and compassionate academic environment in which to sustain it. CSE faculty members have won many national and international acclaims for their research and leadership. During the most recent year, our faculty received over $3.3 million in new research funding. We consider public service a high priority, and we strive to reach beyond academe to touch the outside community at the regional, state, and national levels. To this end, we encourage university/industry and university/community cooperation. We advocate the pursuit of lifelong learning for our faculty, staff, students, and the community-at-large.

SYNERGETIC RELATIONSHIP
The department has established strong partnerships with private industry and government as well as with other academic institutions in order to form synergistic relationships that are mutually beneficial. These relationships bring together knowledge, wisdom, and technological innovation in a variety of related subjects and disciplines. They encourage excellence in research and promote technological advancements that would provide tools to address many of the challenges that people face in the world we live in.