Technology Leadership Institute : About TLI

About TLI

The Technology Leadership Initiative is currently maintained by Tasha Rauso, Outreach Coordinator at the Computer Science program at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Initiative was originally the brainchild of Tonya R. Groover. Ms. Groover is a received an undergradaute degree in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 and is currently pursuing a MS in Computer Science at the University. She conducted research about the “pipeline” of minority students entering Computer Science and Information Technology degrees and strengthened her hypothesis of a “leaking pipeline“. According to the 2005 Taulbee survey, African Americans received 358 of 10,900 Computer Science degrees from 188 PhD granting institutions. One of the conclusions of her research was the lack of research and support initiatives available to increase African American participation in these fields.

The Department of Computer Science and School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh generously sponsor TLI, with additional support from the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. The first cohort of students completed TLI in the summer of 2006.

Mission

The mission of the Technology Leadership Initiative (TLI) is to provide underrepresented and underserved students in grades 7-11 with opportunities, tools and motivation needed to pursue Computer Science related degrees and excel academically, socially and professionally.

Objectives

Create a pipeline into Computer Science programs for students from groups who are traditionally underrepresented in the field.
Enrich the community and enhance students learning and civic responsibility by serving the community through education and service-learning projects.
Provide students with the academic success skills needed to transition from high school to college.
Empower students and parents with the tools and resources to gain admission to selective colleges and universities.