{\noindent {\bf VII. ASSESSMENT OF IMPACT ON PROGRAMS CURRENTLY OFFERED}}

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{\it A. Budget:}

{\it 1.  Assuming no special appropriation or BOR allocation for
initiation of the program, how would resources within the
institution be shifted to support the new program?}

{\it 2. Use BOR Table Three to display dollar estimates of both
current and new resources for the proposed program for the first
and fifth years of the program.  In narrative form, identify the
source of both current and any new resources to be devoted to the
proposed program.}

{\it 3. Describe what steps have been taken to obtain information
regarding resources available outside the institution (businesses,
industrial organizations, governmental entities, etc.).  Delineate
the external resources which appear to be available to support the
proposed program.}

NSF support (results of PITAC Report, HR Development)

Foundation Support (Computational Biology)

List the applications for research contracts which have been
submitted.

Partnership with computer vendors

{\it VII.B. Describe any other projected impacts on related programs,
such as prerequisites, required courses in other departments,
etc.}

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Currently there are no similar programs in any
university in Florida nor are there any other programs on the
SUS master list which would duplicate this program.
This program will offer students within the State of Florida a
unique opportunity to become involved in a rapidly growing field.
Some of the courses within CSIT will be taught in science
departments, computer science, mathematics and potentially other
departments.  CSIT faculty lines are being allocated to these
departments to provide these courses where necessary.

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In some instances (detailed in the table below) courses on similar
topics are provided as part of science, computer
science, computer engineering, electrical engineer or
mathematics programs.  When those courses
are available at FSU, the CSIT program has included them in
the CSIT curriculum.  Any individual course within this group
represents a small fraction of the
course work in CSIT, so the number of CSIT students in any one of these
courses is expected to be in the range of three to five students.   These courses
are a part of the standard offerings he programs for which they were
first designed and generally have much higher enrollments.
Consequently, the impact of CSIT students on these courses is not
expected to be significant.

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The CSIT curriculum committee will consider
including within this program appropriate courses taught by
other universities via distance learning.  Individual graduate advisory
committees will recommend such distance learning courses when
deemed in a student's best interest.  Currently, we are unable to
find such courses within the SUS.

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CSIT is committed to distance
delivery of as many of its own courses as possible.  Part of its
research efforts include development of advanced tools and
environments to support online teaching and learning.  CSIT
is currently exploring the possibility of creating a Center for
e-Learning and e-Teaching.  The goal of this project is to develop
the advanced technology and online environment needed to enable effective
online teaching and learning.  Planned activities
include developing a repository for course modules.  A proposal is
being submitted by FSU faculty in CSIT, Computer Science and Physics
and FSU's Office of Distributed and Distance Learning
to the National Science Foundation to work with
Florida A\&M University, Jackson State University, North Carolina
A \& T on course modules for computer science.   A proposal
involving faculty from CSIT, the College of Arts and Sciences
and the College of Education at and from the College of Arts and Sciences
and the College of Education at Florida
International University has been submitted to the National
Science Foundation. This proposal seeks funds to develop distance learning
courses in biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, applied mathematics,
computational science and education technology for the professional
development of K-8 educators.  The program would lead to a Master's degree in
Education.  This proposal also seeks to establish the
technological environment needed to provide continued support of
K-9 science, mathematics and technology educators.

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{\bf VII-B.} The graduate programs in CSIT are
synergistic with graduate programs in science, engineering, computer
science and applied mathematics (and
often with other disciplines).  Two scenarios are envisioned for
students entering a degree program in CSIT.  A student may receive a
Ph.D. degree in CSIT and an M.S. degree in a traditional affiliated
area, or the student may receive a Ph.D. in the affiliated area and a
M.S. in CSIT.  In the former case, the CSIT program would ensure that
the student meet its requirements for the Ph.D. degree and so ensure
that the student receive a truly broad education encompassing applied
computer science, applied mathematics and one or more science and
engineering discipline.  In the latter case, the student's activities
would be focused primarily on his or her traditional discipline, but
the requirements imposed by CSIT for the M.S. degree would ensure the
student's grasp of the fundamental principles of high-performance
computing in that discipline.  In both scenarios, the CSIT program
would have high visibility both inside and outside the University to
attract high-quality students and would have a stature that it would
pass on to its graduates.

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This program improves the quality of the educational
offerings of the SUS in several ways.  It is the first
CSIT degree program in the SUS and among the
first in the country.  The degree program is evolving from FSU's
Certificate Program in Computational Science and Engineering should have
very high visibility because it is breaking new ground in an area
in which many are expected to follow.  By taking advantage of this
program through novel combinations of M.S./Ph.D. degree options or
B.S./M.S. options, this program can be used to help departments
attract students that they might not get under normal situations.

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This program will provide courses, seminars, workshops and
short courses that will benefit students
in many graduate programs.  The program
will create several courses specifically for the CSIT
degreee program which will be useful to these students in affiliated
departments, this will help reduce the effort required in these
departments to provide these offerings themselves.
In addition, the program will make use of
existing courses in affiliated departments and help increase their
enrollment.

% For students seeking a terminal M.S. degree, half of their courses
% will be in CSIT core and advanced courses and half of their courses
% will be in affiliated department courses.

FSU has a large number of strong
programs in the science and engineering, it has a strong research
program in computational science and information technology and a
long history in high performance computing and consequently
represents an ideal site for this program.  In developing this
program FSU faculty and graduate research programs in meteorology,
oceanography, geology, biology, computer science, materials
science, mathematics, statistics and physics have identified
computational intensive research activities of critical importance
in their field.

        In developing this program, one of the key goals is to
avoid future duplication of effort.  Faculty in the
departments listed above have recognized the need for at least some
of their students to have receive better training in modern techniques
in computational science and information technology and are assisting
in the creation of this program.  The CSIT steering committee has at
least one representative from each of the affiliated departments.
The CSIT curriculum committee consists of members of the faculty
from computer science,
mathematics, physics, biology, oceanography, statistics and engineering.
The activities of this committee are being presented on a regular
basis to the Science Area Chairs Committee.
