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Christopher Newport has been selected as one of the first universities to participate in Virginia’s ambitious Tech-Talent Investment Program.
The result will be a multi-million dollar investment by the commonwealth in Christopher Newport’s students, facilities, faculty and staff for the next two decades. In return, the university will enroll, prepare and graduate hundreds of students with degrees in computer science and related programs.
“This is a validation of the rigor of our academics, the ability of our faculty and the sophistication of our laboratories and classrooms,” said President Paul Trible. “This award underscores Christopher Newport’s growing reputation as a leader in STEM education and as a university known and respected for doing what it says it will do.”
The tech-talent pipeline is part of Virginia’s commitment to make a performance-based, statewide investment in technology education, producing as many as 35,000 additional students with degrees in the computer sciences. The guarantee was key to the successful effort to convince Amazon to locate a headquarters in Virginia and continuing efforts to attract other employers heavily dependent on technology.
Christopher Newport is the only non-doctoral granting institution selected by a seven-member panel that included the secretaries of finance and education, the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the director of the Department of Planning and Budget, the staff directors of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, and the president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.