BPC-A: Planning a Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance for the Pacific Islands

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Chaminade University of Honolulu proposes a collaboration with the University of Hawai'i campuses at Hilo and Manoa for the purpose of planning and developing the infrastructure for a BPC Pacific Alliance. That Alliance would serve higher education institutions with significant Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island student populations in the Pacific region. These students are a largely untapped resource, but they will be difficult to reach: they attend 20 undergraduate institutions located on ten islands, and they are a diverse population, scattered across thousands of miles in the Pacific Ocean, encompassing four distinct cultural traditions and speaking a dozen different Pacific Island languages. Existing programs aimed at improving STEM educational opportunities in the region have not had the resources needed to make a significant impact on students in the computing disciplines. This project takes the first steps in building a program specifically designed to meet the needs of students pursuing computing degrees. The Pacific BPC alliance will be built in stages starting with the three founding institutions. It will be modeled on two other Alliances: the Islands of Opportunity Alliance (IOA-LSAMP) will provide the foundation and basic structure, while the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) will provide best practices and successful interventions. Planning activities will center around preparations for a full proposal in the spring of 2011.