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2. The Data is Startling % of Women Majors, by Field 2 Medical School
Law School
Physical Sciences
Computer Science
Sources: National Science Foundation, American Bar Association, American Association of Medical Colleges 2

3. Overview
By 2018, the U.S. will be graduating only 52% of the needed Computer Science and IT workforce from our universities.
Percentage of women at undergraduate institutions is at an all time high of 57% and yet the percentage of women majoring in CS/IS is near an all time low of 18%.
Technology is the only STEM discipline where the participation of women has been declining.
67% of the job growth in STEM is in computer science and yet 8% of the STEM degrees are in computer science.
<1% of college women major in computer science vs. 6% of men.
Only 25% of IT-related jobs are held by women. High Tech Start-Up arena is particularly challenged: 12% women, significant cultural issues.
SOURCES: U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education Research Institute 3

4. We can’t win if we leave half the team on the bench!
Why Does It Matter?
Workforce
Diversity
Economic fairness
Leadership
We can’t win if we leave half the team on the bench! 4

5. What is WiTNY?
A strategic public/private partnership between industry and academia with a mission to facilitate, encourage and enable a significant increase in the participation of women in both higher education and entrepreneurship in fields related to technology in the New York market. 5

6. Goals
Increase the percentage of women majoring/minoring in computer science and related tech disciplines at CUNY.
Increase the percentage of women graduating with degrees in computer science and related tech disciplines from CUNY.
Increase the ‘identification with the profession’ among the women in computer science and related disciplines at CUNY. 6

7. Strategy to Achieve Goals
Cast a wider net: Incent more women to enroll in innovative introductory computer science and tech courses and provide the support needed for them to be successful.
Plug the leaks in the pipeline: Enable a glide path rather than an obstacle course so that more young women make it into the tech workforce in New York. 7

8. The 3 C’s
Programmatic opportunities for young women in tech to meet each other and form a network
Innovative curriculum to get more young women started on their education and careers in tech
Curriculum
Career
Community
Programmatic opportunities for young women in tech to meet and form a network with tech professionals
Scholarships and fellowships to support young women pursuing tech-related academic careers
Paid internships to give young women the experience they need to be successful 8

9. Partnership between Cornell Tech and CUNY:
Scale
Unique opportunity to leverage the innovations at Cornell Tech (curriculum, pedagogy, process) at one of the largest and most diverse public undergraduate institutions in the country:
Glide path between K-12 and college
Innovative curriculum and approach to teaching/learning
Start up community
Iterative process 9

10. Summer Studio August 1st – August 12th
40 rising freshman women headed for CUNY in the fall (waiting list of 40+)
Curriculum based on Cornell Tech’s ‘Studio’ Curriculum
Product development
‘User-centered’ design
Brainstorming
Prototyping
Introduction to coding
Presentation skills
All in the context of a real business challenge
Panel discussions with executive women, female developers, CUNY students
Goal is to replicate across CUNY campuses next summer 10

11. Have a meaningful impact on the NY Tech ecosystem.
Long Term Vision
Have a meaningful impact on the NY Tech ecosystem.
Make New York THE destination for women interested in technology-related education and careers. 11