Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!im4u!milano!donner!gerhart
From: gerhart@donner.SW.MCC.COM (Susan Gerhart)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Wang Institute Closed
Message-ID: <600@donner.SW.MCC.COM>
Date: 5 May 88 03:47:12 GMT
References: <5214@aw.sei.cmu.edu> <1130002@hpanly.HP.COM>
Organization: MCC, Austin, TX
Lines: 35
Summary: Reiterating but not reincarnating...




Andy's distinction between the "Wang Institute of Boston University" and
the "Wang Institute of Graduate Studies" is correct and important. I speak
as a former (1982-1985) faculty member of that institution (and organizer of 
the 1985 Summer Institute) who will not see used as an item of trade the name 
associated with the conscientious effort and intellectual energy of so many 
students and faculty and (often forgotten) staff during the period 1981-1987.

At the time that the "Wang Institute of Graduate Studies" became the "Wang 
Institute of Boston University", the Master of Software Engineering degree 
program was obliterated, despite full accreditation from the official
body of higher education for New England. With that action, the faculty and
staff and some non-graduating-students scattered to the winds.  As Andy 
remarks, those seeds are leading to new programs at the CMU-SEI
and elsewhere, as well as many new ideas and products in the software 
engineering field.

This is not to say that the reborn Summer Institute of Wang Institute (or 
whatever it is - I have not received the announcement) is of no value. 
It is simply important to recognize that the able organizational support 
associated with the Wang Institute of Graduate Studies has been totally
replaced by, perhaps equal or more or less able, staff and environment. 
It is encouraging to see that one of the seeds has settled at BU, namely 
John Brackett, and that a flourishing successor, but different, program 
is under development.

Put simply, the Wang Institute of Boston University occupies the facilities of
and shares the first two words of the name of the Wang Institute of Graduate 
Studies. Other than that, it should be judged on its own merits and achieve its
own track record.

P.S. Frankly, I think the Wang Institute should be judged more along its
matriarchal line of contributions than its patriarchal ones at this point.