7:00 – 8:00 am

Breakfast: San Sebastian Conference Room

8:00 – 8:20

Welcome and Introductions …  Attendees:  Jamie Segual, Bienve Velez, Neeraj Suri, Basil Smith, Tammy Sokol, Nick Bowen, Walter Cervoni,  Luis A Ríos , Carmen Santiago, Wilson Rivera, Pedro Rivera-Rivera, Yi  Qian, Manuel Rodgiguez, Martina Trucco,  Luis Ramírez, Ada Garcia,  Archer Lebron. 

Jaime Seguel & Nick Bowen

8:20 – 8:45

Department News ……   current status of the program.  Current a Minor is CS inside math (inside A&S).  BS in ECE in  College of engineering.  Issues – no identity, no critical mass.   Three things:  CISE Phd (2000),  BS in CSE (2004), Proposal – spilt ECE into ECE & CSE as two departments.   10 faculty in CSE full time,  5 ECE/CSE will be split.   Status approved by Academic sentae,  four big steps remaining:  Administrative Board (2006),  Univesity Board & Board of trustees,  then Council of Higher Education.   Jaime requested that the board helps.  Nothing specific yet,  but possibly letters and meetings with the chancellor.    Luis - - governer should support because this helps this with goal of the knowledge economy, PRIDCO.  They need outsiders to give their opinions. Archer – create infrastructure of local companies….  Letter with the following points:  a) Faciliate the “knowledge economy”,  b) improve production of CSE students in PR,  c) stronger position to receiver.  Neeraj – grants from NSF & Industry will be in jepordy,  FIU collaboration to improve production of Hispanic PhD students.   Letter - - Archer-local jobs,   Martina- creating a knowledge ecomony,  Neeraj-grant benefit,   Nick-PhD production.  Ada- - Gates meeting with the governer in April 26.     Additional big issues - - building ($2.5M to start, $25M total),  salary scale,  CSE programs on a fast track – faulty & assistantships. 

Jaime Seguel

8:45 – 9:15

Overview of Students in CISE PhD Program…. Presented a summary of each of the students.

Jaime Seguel

9:15 – 10:00

PRIDCO Grant & Plans ….  Bienve presented the proposal.  He needs a board and suggested that the CSEAC expands the role to play the roll for this new organization.    Bienve also presented a simple strategic plan to develop CSE at UPRM including short term goals that have been assigned to the faculty. 

Prof. Bienvenido Velez

10:00 – 10:15

Break

10:15 – 10:45

Report of the Evolution of the Institute for Computing & Information Studies (ICIS)…. This is the name for the research that is being done within the proposed CSE Department.      He reviewed the five major Research thrusts in this area.   All of them are very good areas and have very good faculty members & students.   Some future objectives - - need full time administrative person, enhance faculty research objectives, enhancing the students experience. 

Prof. Wilson Rivera

10:45 – 11:30

Report of the UPRM / FIU / IBM Research Collaboration and Proposal for a New Collaborative Research Center.  Reviewed status of the meeting on April 3.   Suggestions are to include some post docs.   Ada Garcia will look into what Microsoft could contribute to the broadening access proposal. 

Jaime Seguel and Basil Smith

11:30 – 12:00 pm

Discussion

12:00 – 1:00

Lunch and Open Discussion

1:00 – 1:45

Report of Efforts to Locate Alumni

Dr. Lionel Orama

1:45 – 2:30

Report of Efforts to Rank the University…. Pedro presents the initial ideas. 

Prof. Pedro Rivera

2:30 – 3:15

Report of Exchange Programs….  Including recruiting of graduate students.  NSEP & ISEP program (existing student exchange programs). They have some proposals.  Big issue is housing for students.   Second topic is recruiting graduate students (both MS & PhD).    Issue that comes up is the undergraduate degree being 5 years,  with a MS at a full 2 years.   Many schools are trying to go for “3+2” equals a BS & MS. 

Prof.  Yi Qian

3:15 – 3:30

External Collabortions…..  Martina Trucco.   “Telecom Paris” one of top schools in france for engineering. 

3:30 – 4:00

Report of the Sub-committee for Positioning UPRM as a Leading Producer of Hispanic and Female Engineers and Computer Scientists…  Archer summarized this effort by basically agreeing with everything that has been said during the morning.  His focus is that we need

Archer Lebrón

4:00 – 4:30

Discussion

4:30 – 5:30

Summary and Next Steps…  Focus is the letter to the governer.   Archer will lead the final edits.

8:00 – 9:30

Dinner : Garita Room