Forty High School Junior and Senior Women from Four Minneapolis Public Schools Will Participate in a Program at the Minneapolis Campus of Metropolitan State University and the Minneapolis Community and Technical College Designed to Pique Their Interest in IT Careers
Metropolitan State University:
WHO: The Center for Strategic IT and Security, a joint venture between Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis Community and Technical College and Inver Hills Community College, will host students in the High Tech Girls program from North Community High School, South High School, Patrick Henry High School and Washburn High School.
WHAT: A half-day event for high school junior and senior women to introduce them to IT careers.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 24. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. with introductions and welcome. At 10:00, students will participate in one of two alternating sessions: “Discovering IT,” a presentation covering a wide variety of IT careers, and “Dissecting Computers,” a hands-on experience to learn how the inside of a computer works. Lunch includes a panel discussion with women from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) ITS department. At 1:00, students will tour the MnSCU ITS offices located on the Minneapolis campus and interview women who work there to learn about “On the Job in IT.” The program ends at 2:00.
WHERE: Minneapolis campus of Metropolitan State University and Minneapolis Community and Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis. 9:30 welcome is in L3100. 10:00 “Discover IT” session is in L3200, “Dissecting Computers” in T3010 and T3020. Lunch is in L3100. The 1:00 MnSCU office tour is in the Management Education Center basement, 1300 Harmon Place, Minneapolis, followed by a wrap-up in L3100.
WHY: “We want to bring more students, especially women, into the IT field,” said Kate Southwick, Director, Partner Collaboration and Student Relations, Center for Strategic Information Technology and Security at Metropolitan State University. “Women are hesitant to enter a field that still today is heavily male-dominated and undermined by outdated stereotypes. We hope this program will offer positive role models to these young women and help them understand that IT is an in-demand career with good pay that involves communication, creativity and interaction.”
BACKGROUND: The Center for Strategic Information Technology and Security (www.strategicit.org) is a grant-funded Center of Excellence formed through the collaboration of its three academic partners: Metropolitan State University (www.metrostate.edu), Minneapolis Community and Technical College, and Inver Hills Community College. The center collaborates with business and education to create and deliver information technology expertise for career and business success. It offers resources for student networking, internships and career enhancement, and is one of four Centers of Excellence in Minnesota funded through the legislature and MnSCU.
Metropolitan State University, a member of MnSCU, provides high-quality, affordable academic and professional degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate levels. It is the only state university in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Contacts:
For Metropolitan State University
Sue Haberle, 763-550-0101
susan.haberle@habcom.biz
or
Metropolitan
State University
Kate Southwick, 612-659-7225
kate.southwick@metrostate.edu