Expanding career pathways: the joy of teaching computer science at predominately undergraduate liberal arts institutions

Four CS faculty members from different primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) will share the joys and challenges of such careers. The media has broadcasted the need for educating more students in computer science, especially PUIs with liberal arts [2, 3, 4]. In order to educate the growing CS student enrollment at PUIs [1], we need to expand and support the pipeline of potential faculty members to teach at PUIs. The primary audience for this panel includes graduate students pursuing a computing PhD and those with PhDs who are considering a career change. If the panel is virtual or offered remotely, it can be advertised to graduate students across the USA. The goals of this panel include: 1) provide an overview of joys and opportunities of PUI careers, 2) provide an overview of the challenges of this type of career, 3) invite other attendees to contribute from their experiences, and 4) answer attendees' questions, and 5) create a community of current and future PUI faculty among attendees and the panelists. In the sections that follow, we describe the joys and challenges of faculty careers at institutions that focus on undergraduate education.