‘Visionary Leaders’ Named to BSU’s Computer Science & Math Departments

Drs. Rose Shumba & Elena Klimova Poised to Boost Enrollment & Graduation Rates

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – In expanding its position as a leader in graduating minorities in science and technology, Bowie State University has selected veteran higher education administrators as chairpersons for the departments of computer science and mathematics, after national searches. Both are set to begin on July 1.

The new Computer Science Department chair, Dr. Rose Shumba, is a skilled fundraiser who brings nearly 20 years of collegiate teaching, research and leadership experience with face-to-face, online and hybrid academic programs. Dr. Elena Klimova, the new Mathematics Department chair, is an award-winning Bowie State professor with expertise in designing online courses and more than 20 years of experience teaching college and high school students.

“I am very confident we have selected the very best for these two critical positions – visionary, innovative and progressive leaders. The departments of computer science and mathematics have important roles to play in our academic enterprise as we race to excellence,” said Dr. George Acquaah, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As we look to the future, these outstanding leaders will increase student enrollment and graduation rates, diversify program offerings, increase external partnerships and elevate the profile of our academic enterprise, making Bowie State University a preferred institution for scholars and employers.”

Dr. Shumba joins Bowie State from the U.S. Naval Academy, where she was a senior professor in the Cyber Science Department. Previously, she served as director of the National Security Administration Center for Academic Excellence (NSA CAE) in Information Assurance at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), where she led the successful reaccreditation of the university’s NSA CAE designation. She also initiated and implemented transfer agreements between the university, area community colleges and other Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools. By establishing a group for women in STEM (science, technology, mathematics and engineering), she increased the number of female students in the Computer Science Department.

She has a proven track record of securing external grants. As the NSA CAE director, she brought in a $1.2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. She also secured several NSA Capacity Building grants to train community college faculty in cybersecurity, strengthening the pipeline of students entering the information assurance profession.

At the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), Dr. Shumba served as program director and associate vice dean, as well as interim vice dean. She led the redesign of the Graduate School Digital Forensic Program to be competency-based, which boosted enrollment by 30 percent and helped UMUC achieve the National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence designation.

Her research interests include secure software engineering, the internet of things (IoT) and security, cloud and mobile forensics, software validation and cybersecurity. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Birmingham in England, a master’s degree from University of Manchester Victoria in England and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Zimbabwe, all in computer science.

Dr. Klimova joined Bowie State’s mathematics faculty in 2008 and has twice been named Teacher of the Year by the College of Arts and Sciences. She has served in multiple leadership roles, including interim chair of the Mathematics Department, chair of Math Review Committee, and department representative on the Faculty Senate and College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee. In addition, she coordinated the Mathematics Department’s secondary education track, designed several math courses for education majors and represented the department on the Teacher Education Council and Undergraduate Council.

Her research interests are methods of teaching mathematics and math education. She holds a doctoral degree in mathematics and theoretical physics from Higher Attestation Commission in Russia, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, teaching mathematics and computer science from Moscow State Pedagogical University.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.