The Center for Women & Information Technology (CWIT) at the
University of Maryland Baltimore County is pleased to announce
completion of the seventh year of the CWIT Scholars Program. This is a merit
scholarship program for talented undergraduates majoring in
computer science, computer engineering, information systems,
or a related program at UMBC.
CWIT Scholars at May '08 Reception
First Scholar Cohort Graduates, May 2006
2005 Reception Photos
What is CWIT? 
The Center for Women
and Information Technology
(CWIT, pronounced "see-wit") is a program dedicated to achieving
women's full participation in all aspects of information technology
(IT). This participation will strengthen the nation's IT workforce,
raise the standard of living for many women, and help to assure
that information technology addresses women's needs and expands
the possibilities in their lives.
What is the CWIT Scholars Program?
The CWIT Scholars Program identifies a limited number of
high-achieving high school seniors annually and provides four
years of financial and programmatic support to pursue a bachelor's
degree at UMBC in an IT-related field. The program is open
to both women and men who support women's full involvement
in information technology.
Scholarship
Benefits
CWIT Scholars will receive four-year scholarships ranging
from $5,000 per academic year up to $22,000 to cover full tuition, mandatory fees,
and other expenses. Each Scholar in the program will participate
in special courses and activities and receive mentoring from
faculty and participating members of the IT community.
The
Curriculum
In addition to completing their chosen major, CWIT Scholars
participate in a series of academic and extracurricular activities
designed to foster a supportive community for women in IT:
A mentoring program connecting the scholars to successful
IT business professionals
An outreach program for Scholars to mentor middle and
high school girls to encourage them to consider a career
in IT
Service-learning opportunities built through UMBC's strong
relationship with area schools
An internship program in partnership with the Shriver
Center and the UMBC Women's Center that will involve premier
workforce development opportunities for CWIT Scholars in
their junior and/or senior years
Two special courses that address gender issues on campus,
in the community, and in the workplace: an Introduction
to Women's Studies and a newly designed Women, Gender, and
IT course that brings together faculty from the Women's
Studies and IT programs as well as involved members of the
IT business community
Monthly brown-bag lunches with women in IT
A Speakers Series on Women and IT featuring nationally
or internationally recognized speakers
The Value of Participation
Graduates of the CWIT Scholars Program can expect to take
a leadership role in the IT workforce to foster the continued
growth of women in the field, or they may enroll in a premier
graduate program to continue their studies in their area of
interest.
Application Procedure
Candidates for the CWIT Scholars Program must complete a
separate scholarship application. Two letters of recommendation
are required: one from a science or technology teacher and
one from someone familiar with the student's academic work
and leadership qualities. A faculty committee will interview
finalists.
Application
Deadline
The completed CWIT Scholars application and supporting documents
must be returned by January 15, 2008. Applications
are available from UMBC's Office of Scholarships. (You must
have the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the application form;
if you don't already have this software on your computer,
you can download a free copy from Adobe here.)
Final award decisions will be announced no later than the
end of March 2008. NOTE: Applications for Fall 2008 have closed. Applications for Fall 2009 will be accepted at a later date.
For More Information
To learn more about the CWIT Scholars Program, please contact
the UMBC Office of Scholarships at (410)-455-3813 or email
schl_info@umbc.edu.
