INSIGHTS FROM SINGAPORE

Aaron Reed, Ed.D., President, Neumont College of Computer Science

Congratulations to Neumont President Aaron Reed, Ed.D., who recently returned home from Singapore where he presented at the ninth annual International Computer Science Education: Innovation and Technology (CSEIT) Conference. 

The paper, “Gaming Disorder: A Possible Piece of the Computer Science Retention Puzzle – Investigating the Rate of Excessive Gaming Among Computer Science Students,” was penned by Reed and Neumont Senior Academic and Student Life Coordinator John “JP” Peppinger, M.R.C.

John “JP” Peppinger, Senior Academic and Student Life Coordinator, Neumont College of Computer Science

Peppinger has also been working on a new program for students called Game Changers. The program is structured similar to an online class, and is scheduled to launch just before the holidays. In addition to learning about how gaming companies use reinforcement methods against consumers to promote more time spent on gaming related materials, students will keep a journal that includes how much time they’re spending on gaming and on gaming-related material.

NEUMONT PARTNERS WITH UTAH JAZZ

The 2018-2019 NBA preseason kicks off this week, and Neumont couldn’t be more excited. Today, Neumont announced a partnership with Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment (LHMSE).

Through this partnership, students currently attending Neumont will develop software projects and resources for companies under the LHMSE umbrella including, but not limited to, the Utah Jazz, Tour of Utah, and The Zone Sports Network. The first student project is creating an 8-bit video game for the Utah Jazz. Details of the Jazz video game are in the early stages, but Britta Nelson, director of corporate relations, for Neumont said she is already confident this specific Enterprise Partner project will be one that students are especially excited to work on.

You can read more about the partnership with the Utah Jazz and the new partnership here.

COMMENCEMENT 2018

Neumont College of Computer Science honored graduates at the 2018 Commencement Ceremony on Friday, August 31 at The Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City. John Knotwell, CEO and president of the Utah Technology Council, provided the keynote address. Neumont President Aaron Reed, Ed.D. also spoke briefly. You can watch the full ceremony at the YouTube link below. 

Knotwell, a 12-year veteran in Utah's growing tech community spoke of the value of listening, sharing that, "…true listening shows that you value those people around you. It shows that you are invested in them as people, and that you, as a colleague, coworker, boss, or friend, want them to succeed. And a world where we all wish one another success is the only way to find success ourselves. It's how we build each other up, how we build up our organizations, how we have faith in the future."

Making a plug for Utah's tech future as well, Knotwell shared, "We have over 6,500 tech firms in Utah. We are the fastest growing in the country, adding job after job after job to every listing site that has ever existed," noting that, "There will never be a moment where opportunity is not calling you. The only real impact that you can make, in your career or in your life, is your choice," and invited Neumont graduates to stay local.

"Make the choice to stay," he implored. "Make this community your home. Explore opportunities and the mountains. Invest your time here finding the balance that we all want in work and in life."

After noting three key life lessons gleaned from his time in tech and higher education, Dr. Reed closed his remarks reminding graduates, "Today was the day you joined an elite tech workforce --  the one-and-a-half percent that are chiefly responsible for the future of America's economy and national security," referencing remarks earlier where he noted that while 30 percent of Americans have bachelors degrees, only 3 percent of all awarded degrees go to computer science, and only 1.5 percent of people in the United States work in computer science.

But "even more exclusively than that," Reed said, "remember that today is the day you joined a growing army of tech giants that are part of a family of Neumont alumni."

CLASS OF 2021 LAPTOP: LENOVO P1

We're thrilled to announce that incoming first-year students enrolled in the bachelor's degree programs will receive the Lenovo P1 as the cohort laptop in the fall of 2018. 

Each year, Neumont College of Computer Science carefully selects a new machine for the incoming students to use throughout their time here. This high-end work machine will allow students from each degree program to use the tools they need to create remarkable apps, sites, tools, games, reports, and more. 

The complete specs for the Lenovo P1 are listed below. 

Lenovo P1: 4-year warranty with accidental damage protection

Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64

Processor:  Intel Core i7-8850H (Hexa Core 2.60GHz, 4.30GHz Turbo, 9MB 45W, w/Intel UHD Graphics 630)

Memory:  32GB (16+16), DDR4-2666MHz, SODIMM

Graphics:  NVIDIA Quadro P2000 w/4GB GDDR5 128bits

Wireless:  Intel 9560 Card (802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.2), 2x2 MIMO

Hard Drive:  M.2 PCIe 512GB SSD

Battery: 4-cell (80Wh) Lithium Ion battery

Display: 15.6 FHD (1920x1080) IPS Anti-Glare 300nits

Requiring a specific make and model of laptop has a few key advantages. First, it helps Neumont support your hardware quickly and efficiently. We handle all standard warranty service on-campus at no extra cost, which saves valuable time for our students. Second, having a large fleet of a specific model allows us to quickly gather data and apply fixes if needed to a large population. Lastly, it ensures consistency among students in the classroom learning process.

SOFTWARE & GAME DEVELOPMENT DEGREE

Software & Game Development Program Chair Ray Maple sat down with Admissions Manager Jason Thompson for a 30-minute livestream on YouTube to chat about the game development industry, learning game development at Neumont College of Computer Science, and what it takes to succeed in that competitive field. 

Ray has over 20 years of experience developing games. He has worked at small game studios, "Indies before we called them 'indies,'" Ray jokes. And he has worked at large companies like Disney working to develop games like Disney Infinity 1, 2, and 3.

After developing games for so long, Ray made the switch to teaching. He brings experience from making game engines to programming game play. "I feel like I've seen it all," says Ray. "I've done everything..I can show these students how to build a game from the ground up."

Watching students grow and learn from the beginning is the most rewarding part of his current job. He says watching students be creative and do more as they learn more is what keeps him going. 

The game development program at Neumont covers C, C++, C#, and game engines in addition to artificial intelligence, shading, characters, physics, and more. 

If you would like to earn a bachelor's degree in software and game development at Neumont, complete your Application for Admission now. 

INCLUSIVE AND UNITED

It seems fitting to celebrate inclusive and united as two of the values that serve as the foundation for the mission statement of Neumont College of Computer Science. “Improving lives through education,” lends itself to being inclusive and united. As LeeAnn Prince, director of student affairs, explained, “They really go hand-in-hand. Inclusiveness is not about accepting where we are the same, it’s about celebrating what makes us unique and ultimately understanding that by working together, we can accomplish exponentially more than by working alone.” 

Prince says part of her role at Neumont is to help foster a culture of respect that welcomes differences and celebrates diversity. “We should embrace the individuality and unique attributes of others, and that happens when we seek first to understand and then to be understood. Discussion is really the key.”

An important tenant of her job is to ensure that all voices are heard at every level of our institution, and works with Neumont’s various publics to develop the most effective channels and utilize best-practices for open and honest communication. “It can be something as simple as an open door, or even just a suggestion box,” she says, noting the new addition outside her office where the Neumont community (students, staff and faculty) can leave comments, suggestions and questions they’d like addressed.

In essence, inclusivity is not something that is ever wholly achieved; it is an iterative process. And it is through this process, recognizing the strengths and value of one another that we ultimately become united. At Neumont, students and graduates can have a positive impact on the world by leveraging the technical, career, and life skills gleaned at Neumont. Staff, faculty and administration are steadfast and unyielding in their passion to enhance the life of every student to help magnify their potential.

Ultimately, it’s not that Neumont or it’s people are perfect in embodying our new values and mission statement; but as Neumont president Aaron Reed, Ed.D. explained, “they serve to focus on what we believe is most important: making a positive impact on our students, essentially, improving lives through education.”

NEUMONT’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH

Neumont College of Computer Science was built on a foundation of innovation. When other computer science programs focus on theories and lectures that don't provide adequate opportunities to develop the technical, project, and team skills needed to successfully transition from college to the workforce, Neumont’s founders took an alternative approach. They met with educators and industry leaders from across the country to design a curriculum that merges academic rigor, relevant professional knowledge, and exposure to cutting-edge technologies.

“At Neumont, we teach students to think critically and creatively to solve problems and to innovate,” said Jerry Pay, student innovations manager who oversees the college's Innovation Center. The Center connects students and graduates to resources beyond campus to help them turn their projects into businesses. These resources provide students with the tools they need to not only build prototypes of their ideas and then test those prototypes, but it also helps them build a business model around their product or idea to prepare them to launch a business. The Innovation Center also gives the students and alumni access to funding groups to help them complete the launch where necessary.

“Our commitment to innovation is something that is part of our foundation,” said Ben Fletcher, vice president information technology, “and innovative processes in the classroom should be second nature to our instructors." Prior to managing the institution's technology infrastructure, Fletcher helped develop the bachelor's degree in information systems and served as the program chair. 

He said, "We teach computer science in a wholly different way—constantly pushing the boundaries of how to educate. Our project-based approached to education, with real-time employer feedback, means that innovation is inherent in what we do. Our students are solving real-world problems. And realistically, what our institution aims to inspire in students is ultimately an extension of what every member of Neumont’s staff, faculty, and administration should also be striving for: embracing creativity, imagination, and inventiveness.”

STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE

Tom Beatty, BSWD Chair

According to Tom Beatty, web design and development chair for Neumont College of Computer Science, striving for excellence is a nice ideal, but not necessary a goal that’s attainable (and thus, the constant striving). He says, “It’s hard to know when you’ve actually reached it.” Beatty shares his belief that everyone is better served by focusing on the best work you can do.

“It's good to push yourself,” he says. “Try challenging things. Learn more. Be curious, Do more, and don't give up. Decide you can do something, and then do it. If you fail, try again with the new knowledge you've obtained. Don't worry so much about achieving excellence at the start. If you continually work hard and do your best to be better than you were or to know more than you did, excellence is the inevitable byproduct.”

And Beatty knows about pushing himself: ever the life-long learner, he admits to spending a lot of time on both Udemy.com and Pluralsight completing online training.  

“I need to keep current on the ever-changing technologies associated with the industry. There is always another framework or library that will help my students be better prepared for their future careers. Beyond that, I love learning and then teaching new things. It keeps my job both challenging and interesting,” he said when asked how he strives for excellence in his own work.

When Neumont’s leadership, staff, and faculty—like Beatty—consider the impact their efforts have on students, the significance of the work becomes evident. Neumont staff and faculty strive to improve every aspect of our institution with the belief that the results of our efforts positively impact our community. We expect excellence from each other, and we try to instill that in our colleagues, students, and alumni.

We are constantly striving for excellence to improve lives through education.

CULTIVATING A STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH

“Students who enroll at Neumont entrust us with their educational and professional future,” said Jeremiah Harrison, manager of academic systems and faculty chair for general education at Neumont College of Computer Science. “We do not take that great responsibility lightly.” Harrison says the College's entire focus is on each individual student and striving to fulfill our commitment to them, which he describes as  “providing [them] with life-changing educational opportunities that lead to fulfilling careers.”

Associate Director of Admissions Jasmine Peña echoes Harrison's sentiments. “We see the value in the Neumont model and the positive impact it can have on our students." When asked how her team is student-centered, she went on to say, “Our focus is not just current students, but we are also working to find future students who would benefit from our educational system. We look for ways to partner with alumni that benefit the entire student-cycle: from prospective students, to current students, and graduates.”

Director of Financial Aid Nate Blanchard says being student-centered goes well-beyond the classroom and the project-based curriculum: “It also has to do with understanding and recognizing the financial burden placed on today’s college students,” He says, noting that his team is tasked with discovering ways to support students and minimize their financial burden any way possible. Whether that’s through finding grants or scholarships, gaining an understanding of financial literacy, or helping students understand the importance of budgeting, ultimately his team is working for the student.

Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fullmer notes that every day choices in the workplace effect students, “The resources we oversee are directly related to tuition costs. So every employee is tasked with using those resources wisely, ultimately to provide the best services possible to our students—past, present and future.”

NEUMONT’S MISSION AND VALUES STATEMENT

“On numerous occasions I have shared with our staff, faculty and you how much I love Neumont because of my passion for computer science education,” said Neumont President Aaron Reed, Ed.D., this afternoon in an email to students where he echoed Monday’s announcement that Neumont had officially launched it’s new mission statement,

"Improving lives through education."

“A mission statement should inspire and drive action,” Reed said. “We are an institution full of people who are passionate about computer science education; it’s time our mission statement better represented who we are and what drive us.”

Over the next five days we’ll be taking a look at the supporting values that govern this new mission statement:

• Tirelessly passionate about education

• Student-centered

• Striving for excellence

• Innovative

• Inclusive

• United

We’re kicking off the week with our value “Tirelessly passionate about education,” because at Neumont, it’s a passion for education that drives our faculty, staff and administration. What many in academia (or any sector) may deem as the drudgery of work, the inspiring mission of “changing lives through education”  helps Neumont faculty to more fully recognize and embrace the potential impact they have on the lives of others.

We recruit faculty and staff who embrace and live the culture of life-long learning. Our most successful faculty members are passionate computer scientists and developers with comprehensive industry experience and a desire to share what they’ve learned with students.

We recruit students who have already made the bold decision to pursue an education in computer science. Many of our students will be the first in their family to attend college. With the knowledge and skills they’ve attained during their time at Neumont, they change not only their lives, but set a new course for their family and generations to come.  

3D PRINTED FOSSILS BY SHANE ROULEAU

Each quarter, students in Neumont College of Computer Science's Bachelor of Science degree programs present their Capstone Project to a panel of faculty and staff to show they're ready to take on Enterprise Projects their senior year. This month we're highlighting a few of the remarkable projects developed by students in the business technology operations management program (BSTM).

Illinois-native Shane Rouleau saw an opportunity to apply technology to his paleontology hobby when he began his Capstone Project. Early on, Shane met with area museums to find ways technology could help them succeed. The North American Museum of Ancient Life had an opportunity: They had a fossil they wanted to test, but could not for fear of damaging the ancient bone. 

However, Shane quickly recognized a modern solution to this problem: 3D Printing. He set to work connecting the museum to a printer. At a meeting between the museum reps, Shane realized that project management was about connection. He had successfully helped a museum find the resources it needed to continue its paleontology work.

He plans to continue to work with the museum printing additional fossils for continued testing. He is currently working with DealerSocket on an Enterprise Project as a project manager and programmer. 

PUBLISH.ME BY MORGAN SMITH

Each quarter, students across all five bachelor's degree programs at Neumont College of Computer Science present their Capstone Project. This penultimate project demonstrates each student's ability to conceive, plan, develop, and present a technology-focused project in only 10 weeks. 

Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting some outstanding projects from seniors currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Business Operations and Technology Management degree. This program focuses on teaching grads how to connect developers and business leaders.

Morgan Smith developed a project called "Publish.ME." This web platform aims to remove the bottleneck publishers face when looking for new authors while providing an open platform for writers to gain exposure for their work. 

"Primarily, Publish.ME is solving the greatest barrier to entry for new authors to gain traction in the industry," said Morgan. "It's empowering the writers of the world and eliminating luck from the publishing equation via technology."

Morgan Smith presents his startup, Publish.ME, to his peers and faculty for his Capstone Project presentation.

Previously, Morgan's tech startup won $1,000 in seed money through Get Seeded. He started work on the project in his Project Management in Practice course. Over the next year, he continued to develop the idea in his free time and as part of coursework for other classes. 

Morgan found inspiration from his own love of writing to create a platform where more writers could be published. "As far back as I have memories of anything, I remember creating some sort of art. Eventually I decided that writing would be my primary focus as an artist," said Morgan as he explains his passion for the project. "But at one point, I had a professional writer look me in the eyes and say, 'It's literally a game of chance. I got lucky.' Something snapped in my brain, and I decided I would change the billion-dollar industry that somehow ran on luck."

Once Morgan recognized the bottleneck created by the "slush pile," which is an over saturation of content from aspiring writers, he knew he could use technology to innovate the publishing process. 

He is currently continuing  production on the project and plans to launch the initial software in July 2018. 

2018 PROJECT SHOWCASE

Each year, students at Neumont College of Computer Science gather at the end of the winter quarter to demonstrate the projects they've developed in the last 10 weeks in a friendly competition. In 2018, students competed in gaming, non-gaming, Capstone, and Enterprise Project categories.

During Project Showcase, current students, alums, staff, faculty, and visitors, play games, test tools, try new websites, and see demonstrations of student-made software development projects at work. Each project was completed in the 10 weeks of the current quarter either as part of regular course work or as students worked on their own. Students may compete individually or in small teams, depending on the scope of the project. 

Highlights from this years Project Showcase included a stellar showing in the non-gaming category. 

• The overall audience favorite went to a first-year student team for their tool "The DnD Cartographer." This remarkable product allows players to better track their maps and character sheets for "Dungeons & Dragons."

• The winner of the non-gaming category was a small team for their tool "Foodie's Formula."

• The runner up created "Spine Express." This tool allows developers to more quickly and easily work with the JS library. 

Other remarkable projects included an augmented reality mobile app for astronomy, a tool for converting black and white film to color using artificial intelligence, and a tool to connect writers and publishers.

Students with the most impressive projects are invited to demonstrate their work just a few weeks later at FReX on April 6, 2018 so future students and their families can see project-based learning in action before tackling their own engineering project. Project Showcase Prime is just one of several awesome activities that take place during our Accepted Student Weekend. If you're thinking about attending Neumont this fall, register right away at accepted.neumont.edu for this incredible event. 

Ready to find out if project-based learning is right for you? Complete your Application for Admission now at www.neumont.edu/apply. 

CAPSTONE PROJECT INVITATIONAL 2018

Computer science student Ben Goff combined his passion for music with his tech skills to create "Ivory." The self-taught pianist used his software development skills to help other people learn how to play his favorite musical instrument. "Ivory" is an application that allows anyone with an electronic keyboard to upload MIDI files via USB or Bluetooth. Users can then learn their favorite songs with an easy to follow key-for-key user interface. Ben's project won the Industry Partner Choice Award at Neumont's 2018 Capstone Project Invitational. Watch the video for more details about this passion project.

Capstone Projects are just one way Neumont students get the hands-on, project-based experience required to help them land great jobs after graduation. Students begin learning cutting-edge technologies from their first day and continue to learn software development by creating projects from beginning to end.  

For real-world, projects-based, hands-on experience with relevant technologies, attend FReX. This Accepted Student Weekend event will help you better understand life as a Neumont student. You'll be asked to participate in a fun engineering challenge and receive some new hardware to try out software development on your own. 

You and your parent(s)/guardian(s) are encouraged to visit Neumont and Salt Lake City from Friday to Saturday on April 6-7 where you'll get answers to all your questions with presentations and casual receptions with current students, alums, staff, and faculty as you tour our campus, student housing, and city.

Ready to find out if Neumont is right for you? Register to visit during FReX on the Accepted Student Portal or complete your Application for Admission before Monday, March 26 to receive your admission decision and FReX invitation. 

THEORY, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE

PURE COMPUTER SCIENCE

Tech is our singular focus. We offer five bachelor's degrees in computer science, information systems, software and game development, technology management, and web design and development. Each of these degrees better prepare our students for the realities of the tech industry by combining theory with hands-on projects. 

REAL PROJECTS, CLIENTS, AND EXPERIENCE

When we say our curriculum is real-world, we mean it. Our curriculum is developed with input from our industry partners to ensure students are working on meaningful software development projects from day one to better help them hone their creative, analytical, and collaborative skills. Enterprise Projects are what truly set Neumont students apart. For up to three, 10-week quarters, students work in a team creating a tech solution for a company. Companies like Workfront, Pluralsight, and Thing Big have partnered with Neumont over the years to develop software, quality assurance, and information systems projects that help their company accomplish more. Students also complete small, team-based projects and Capstone Projects on their own to show they're ready to tackle the challenges of the tech industry. 

BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN 3 YEARS

Our students graduate in only three years by attending classes year-round. Our compressed curriculum means students work in sprints (just like devs in the tech industry) to master skills quickly and sequentially so they graduate with knowledge, experience, and confidence. Instructors focus on teaching students how to learn on their own so they can continue to master skills and technologies in the quickly evolving industry. Students get in, get out, and get coding. No wasted time. 

COMPUTER SCIENCE OPTIMIZED

Our focus on computer science is in high demand. There are 8 times more computing jobs available than there are CS graduates to fill them. That helps CS graduates earn an average starting salary of $65,000 a year and estimated lifetime earnings of $1.5 million. Employers that have hired our graduates include Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Blizzard Entertainment, and Amazon, just to name a few. 

If you'd like to see project-based learning in action, drop by Project Showcase on Friday, March 9, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 143 South Main Street in Salt Lake City, Utah. Students will demonstrate their project work as they compete for prizes. 

If you're ready to start learning to code by coding, complete your Application for Admission before the Late Admission Deadline on Monday, March 29 to receive notification by Tuesday, April 10. If you have questions or need assistance, contact the Office of Admissions at 888-638-6668 or admissions@neumont.edu.