Tennessee Tech Department of Computer Science

Tennessee Tech Department of Computer Science Tennessee Tech University's Department of Computer Science is where computer scientists soar.

When students ask, “Will I fit in here?” our answer is yes! 💜💛We were thrilled to welcome our newest computer science fr...
08/26/2026

When students ask, “Will I fit in here?” our answer is yes! 💜💛

We were thrilled to welcome our newest computer science freshmen and transfer students to Tennessee Tech. During Week of Welcome, they joined us for "Logging in to CS," a fun mixer designed to help them get connected, meet professors and classmates, and start finding their place in the CS community.

They received their own debugging duck—a fun CS tradition and must-have for our majors—before heading to the Mix and Mingle Involvement Fair to explore student organizations.

First connections can make a big difference, and we want all CS students to know they are welcomed, supported and part of our community!

And this is just the beginning.

We’re looking forward to a year filled with opportunities for our students to learn, connect and get involved.

Know a future Golden Eagle who might fit right in with us? Share this post with them! 👋

Special thanks to Tech's CEROC student ambassadors for helping with Logging in to CS and to TNTech Dining for donating door prizes from our campus Starbucks!

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center

08/24/2026

🟪 Then: CS student - 1988
🟨 Now: Ph.D. grad and CS faculty member

Eric Brown, Ph.D., has worn lots of hats in Tennessee Tech’s Department of Computer Science.

His story began as a computer science student in 1988. Nearly four decades later, he’s still part of the CS community—and he just added Ph.D. graduate to his resume.

Along the way, Dr. Brown has been a computer lab technician, adjunct instructor, systems administrator, cybersecurity leader and now senior lecturer.

CS students: What will your “then and now” look like someday?

Share: Have you had Dr. Brown for a class? Share a memory in the comments and help us celebrate the people who have been part of the CS story at Tennessee Tech!

Tennessee Tech University
TnTech College of Engineering
CEROC

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉 Eric Brown, Ph.D., has worn lots of hats in Tennessee Tech’s Department o...
08/24/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉

Eric Brown, Ph.D., has worn lots of hats in Tennessee Tech’s Department of Computer Science—but his story started as a student in 1988.

After graduating in 1993, he returned to the department the following year as a computer lab technician. In 1995, he began teaching Intro to Computing as an adjunct instructor.

In 1997, he became the department’s first full-time systems administrator while continuing to teach several courses over the years. He earned his M.S. in computer science in 2006.

After a brief move to the Tennessee Department of Education’s Office of the Chief Information Officer in 2013, he returned to Tech in 2016 as assistant director of the university’s Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center and resumed his adjunct instructor role in 2018.

In 2023, he became a senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and associate director for workforce development for CEROC. He also directs the Golden Eagle Cyber Certificate Dual Enrollment Program.

Then came another milestone: He completed his Ph.D. in computer science at Tennessee Tech in May 2026. 🎓

From student to faculty member to Ph.D. graduate, Dr. Brown’s journey spans nearly four decades of computer science at Tech.

Alumni and students: Have you had Dr. Brown for a class? Share a memory in the comments and help us celebrate the people who have been part of the CS story at Tennessee Tech!

💾 SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 6, 2026
We’re celebrating 40 years of the Department of Computer Science the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming. Sign up for event updates: www.tntech.edu/CS40

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉The first day of classes looks different than it did decades ago, when the...
08/20/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉

The first day of classes looks different than it did decades ago, when the Department of Computer Science was established in 1986, but some things never change. There are always new classes, new problems to solve and new groups of computer scientists beginning their journey.

Today, our CS students are kicking off fall semester with a "Games on, Golden Eagles!" spirit as they score some snacks in the CS office in Bruner Hall.

As we continue to celebrate 40 years of the Department of Computer Science, we're looking back at the many generations of students who started their CS journeys at Tech.

Alumni: When did your journey begin?

What do you remember about your first days studying computer science at Tech and the faculty and classmates who helped shape your CS journey? Share your memories in the comments!

SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 6, 2026
We're celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Department of Computer Science on the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming. Sign up for updates: www.tntech.edu/CS40

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech

08/20/2026

🏈 GAME ON, GOLDEN EAGLES! 💜💛

Welcome back, CS students. It’s the first day of classes, and the Computer Science office in Bruner 238 is ready to help you fuel up for the semester!

🏈 Pick up a football brownie

🍿 Grab some popcorn

✍️ Sign the list so we know you stopped by!

📱 Vote for our CS Spirit Days display.
(Scan the QR code in the office or vote at the link in our bio. One vote per person per day!)

We’re going for Fan Favorite, so help CS bring home the win!

Tennessee Tech University
TnTech College of Engineering

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉Save the date: Nov. 6, the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming! Sign ...
08/13/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉
Save the date: Nov. 6, the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming! Sign up for updates: www.tntech.edu/CS40

Martha Kosa wasn’t yet part of the Tennessee Tech community when the Department of Computer Science was established in 1986. But that same year, while taking a computer architecture class offered remotely by Virginia Tech, something caught her eye: a student wearing a purple jacket with Tennessee Tech written in gold.

She wondered, “Where is Tennessee Tech?”

Seven years later, in 1993, Kosa “logged in” to Tennessee Tech’s Department of Computer Science as one of the first three tenure-track faculty members hired by Tech with a Ph.D. in computer science. Until then—going back to the 1970s, when computer science emerged as a major—CS courses were taught by professors with advanced degrees in mathematics.

For the next 28 years, until her retirement in 2021, Kosa was part of numerous department firsts:

🟣 She and three other CS faculty members were among the first at Tech to put course materials online.
🟡 She taught the first course in Tech’s computer science master’s degree program in 2002.
🟣 She served as founding advisor for Tech’s first ACM-W student chapter.

And that’s just the beginning.

Read more: https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/news/articles/csc/8-11-26-computer-science-martha-kosa-faculty-flashback-martha-kosa-1993.php

💛 Alumni: Share your favorite Martha Kosa memory in the comments!

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Crawford Alumni Center at Tennessee Tech

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉Save the date: Nov. 6! Sign up for event updates and share your memories:...
08/11/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉
Save the date: Nov. 6! Sign up for event updates and share your memories: www.tntech.edu/CS40

Who remembers Bulletin Board Systems?

David Sisterman, Class of 1992, remembers connecting to BBSs with dial-up modems to play games and chat with people around the world—often tying up the phone line in the process.

He recalls the early 1990s as an exciting time to study computer science. His first college computer was an IBM 8088 with a monochrome monitor, and he saw computing advance through EGA and VGA graphics, 286 to 486 processors and increasingly powerful PCs, culminating in Intel’s Pentium processor in 1993.

After graduation, he joined a defense company in Huntsville, Ala., just as the commercial internet was beginning to take off. Helping companies connect to the internet meant working in uncharted territory.

“No one knew all the answers back then,” he said. “Everything was too new.”

Alumni: What technology from your days at Tech brings back the strongest memories? Dial-up modems? Pascal? UNIX? Something else? Share away in the comments!

Read more about David Sisterman: https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/news/articles/csc/2026-7-30-alumni_spotlight_david_sisterman_class_of_1992.php

We look forward to celebrating with our computer science alumni and friends on Nov. 6, the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming!

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Crawford Alumni Center at Tennessee Tech

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉When David Mills arrived at Tennessee Tech in 1982, the Department of Com...
08/05/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉

When David Mills arrived at Tennessee Tech in 1982, the Department of Computer Science didn’t officially exist—and neither did his plan to major in computer science. He began his college career in electrical engineering before switching to computer science in 1986, the same year the department was established.

Student life looked different in the 1980s, with few activities specifically for CS majors. Even so, strong connections formed in the computer labs.

“I remember spending quite a bit of time with fellow CS students in computer labs doing team projects, homework and all-night study sessions,” David said.

His early programming courses included Pascal before progressing to UNIX and C. He also recalls courses in Ada 83, Fortran 77, COBOL and Microcomputer Architecture.

David said the foundation he received at Tennessee Tech prepared him for every job that followed. Today, he’s a senior software engineer with NTA, Inc., having spent 38 years in the defense and aerospace industry.

Alumni: Were you there too? What do you remember most about studying computer science at Tech in the 1980s? Share in the comments!

Read more about David Mills: https://www.tntech.edu/engineering/news/articles/csc/2026_7_27_computer_science_alumni_spotlight_david_mills_class_of_1988.php

💾 SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 6
CS alumni and friends are invited to join us the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming as we celebrate 40 years of the Department of Computer Science. Registration details are coming soon. Until then, please signup for notifications and submit photos and memories on our event web page: www.tntech.edu/CS40


Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Crawford Alumni Center at Tennessee Tech

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉 Dr. Leland Long holds a special place in Tennessee Tech history as the fi...
08/03/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉

Dr. Leland Long holds a special place in Tennessee Tech history as the first chair of the newly established Department of Computer Science in 1986.

The 1980s marked a turning point for computer science at the university. As enrollment continued to grow, so did the need for a department dedicated solely to the discipline. After nearly a decade as part of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, computer science was ready to stand on its own.

Dr. Long had taught computer science courses since the program’s early years before chairing the department. In 1987, Dr. Frank Hadlock took on the leadership role, serving as chair through 1995, guiding the department during its formative years.

As we celebrate 40 years of the Department of Computer Science, we’re also remembering the faculty members who helped build it.

Were you in their classes? Which professors made the biggest impact on your time at Tech? Share a memory in the comments!

• 1970s: James Harris, David Hume, Roger Lessman, Leland Long, Larry Neal, Don Ramsey and Vason Srini
• 1980s: Barbara Briggs, Frank Hadlock, Ruth Hofstra, David Hume, Hugh Kerr, Steve Khleif, Roger Lessman, Leland Long, Larry Neal, Rama Ramaraj, Don Ramsey, Joel Seber and Arsalan Shokooh

💾 SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 6
CS alumni and friends are invited to join us the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming as we celebrate 40 years of the Department of Computer Science. Registration details coming soon! In the meantime, sign up for notifications and submit photos and memories on our event web page: www.tntech.edu/CS40

*Photo provided by David Hume.

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Crawford Alumni Center at Tennessee Tech

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉 Next on our timeline: Department of Mathematics and Computer ScienceLet’s...
07/29/2026

Celebrating 40 Years of CS at Tennessee Tech 🎉

Next on our timeline: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Let’s travel back to 1977, when Tennessee Tech’s Department of Mathematics got a new name to reflect growing interest in a rapidly evolving field: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

The change came three years after computer science became a major and nearly a decade before it became its own department in 1986. It marked an exciting period of growth for both students and faculty as computer science continued to establish itself as an academic discipline with a promising future.

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science was housed within Bruner Hall, where both – now as separate departments – remain today.

Because of the close connection between the two programs in the 1970s, math and computer science students often participated together in the Math Club and other departmental activities.

Were you there? Do you remember Bruner Hall in the 1970s and 1980s? Were you a member of the Math Club? Share your memories!

Photo descriptions:
1. Students in the Math Club assist with a high school math contest in this 1977 Eagle yearbook photo.
2. Bruner Hall in the late 1970s. (Tennessee Tech Archives)

💾 SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 6
CS alumni and friends are invited to join us the evening before Tennessee Tech Homecoming as we celebrate 40 years of the Department of Computer Science. Registration details coming soon. In the meantime, sign up for notifications and submit photos and memories on our event web page: www.tntech.edu/CS40

Tennessee Tech University
College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech
Crawford Alumni Center at Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Tech University Archives and Special Collections

Address

110 University Drive
Cookeville, TN
38505

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+19313723691

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