Computer Science 101 is surprisingly practical. It's history, how computers work, some programming, some Web pages. Both technical and non-technical students benefit from a liberal arts campus, Dr. Bloss believes. Part of the beauty of this environment is that they're getting a really strong technical foundation along with a really good liberal arts foundation. I'm more concerned about that than about whether computer students have had every possible course in graphics, networking or computer-aided design.
Every discipline teaches how to think critically within that discipline.
Liberal arts emphasizes critical thinking but, in addition, teaches you how to communicate, orally and in writing. Those are skills that get less attention in some majors, particularly technical majors. The broad picture, Dr. Bloss says, is that computer science majors are having no trouble getting jobs and internships, they're in great demand, and they're getting into good graduate schools like Johns Hopkins and William and Mary. She adds a personal, small-scale view, drawn from working at a Roanoke Valley company during her recent sabbatical. That company took computer science senior Ryan Junk in an internship.