UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #868
HORWITZ, SUSAN

HORWITZ, SUSAN (1955-2014)
Professor, Department of Computer Sciences
At UW: 1986

Interviewed: 2007	
Interviewer: Sandy Pfahler
Length: 1 hour, 7 minutes

Abstract: Childhood and early education in Syracuse, New York; family background;  undergraduate study at Wesleyan University; graduate work in computer science at Cornell; hiring by UW Department of Computer Science; research; teaching and the  Wisconsin Emerging Scholars Program; service on campus and national committees;  climate for women at UW; awards and honors; grant funding; family and personal life.
							
Interview Session (May 14, 2007): Tape 1

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:30	Horwitz was born in Berkeley, California, where her father was doing a postdoc.  The family moved to Syracuse, New York, where she grew up and attended school.  They also spent summers in different places and a year in England while her father was on sabbatical.  She talks about the enjoyment of academic life and the sabbatical program in her own career.

00:02:27	SH talks about an influential high school English teacher who was a mentor.  Horwitz talks about her mother’s career as a math instructor in local schools.  

00:04:12	She knew that she would attend college, but did not know where she wanted to go or what career to follow.  She was interested in music at the time.  She explains how she decided to attend Wesleyan University in Middleton, Conn.

00:05:42	SH discusses her experiences at Wesleyan.  She was a music major.  She explains how she first became interested in computers.  She took a course on FORTRAN programming and found that she enjoyed computer programming.  She talks about the links between music and programming.

00:07:45	She talks about early computer technology and computer programming in the 1970s.  Work in the computer lab.  

00:09:15	Horwitz talks about breaks that she took during her academic career to travel and work to raise money.  She talks about the value of taking breaks to gain experience and perspective. 

00:11:07	She was accepted to Cornell and entered graduate school in computer science in fall 1979. She talks about the campus and her colleagues in the program.  She was also able to continue her music study as a minor.

00:13:15	SH talks about the computer science program and faculty at Cornell.  The program was strong in theory.

00:15:30	Horwitz talks about her research and teaching during graduate school.  Work in program environments and software for writing software.

00:17:25	She talks about the few other women on the faculty and in the program.  She didn’t feel that gender was an issue in the department.

00:18:50	She talks about looking for an academic job.  Because the field was growing in the 1980s, there were many opportunities.  She talks about different schools where she interviewed. 

00:19:45	SH talks about her experiences during a year in Paris while her advisor was there on sabbatical.  The experience influenced her decision about what kind of city she wanted to live in.  She explains why she and her husband chose to accept positions at UW.

00:21:30	Horwitz discusses her feelings about Madison and the UW campus community.  She talks about the strengths of the computer science department and the collegial nature of the faculty in her early career.

00:23:25	SH talks about her early career at UW and her tenure process.  She talks about the computing facilities at UW.  

	She outlines some of her research projects with programming tools.  Program slicing.  

00:24:30	She talks about her teaching focus.  The Wisconsin Emerging Scholars Program.  Peer-led team learning.  

00:28:42	She talks about the importance of student study groups for successful learning.  Different approaches to student learning.

00:32:15	SH got a grant from Microsoft to help launch the program.  A group of 8 schools worked together to start the program.  She explains how students are recruited into the program.

00:38:10	She talks about staffing and administration of the program.  She talks about surveys and feedback to gauge the success of the program.

00:40:50	Horwitz talks about the NSF and Microsoft grant money that funds the program and the administrative costs of the program.

00:43:11	She talks about work with local industry to help with recruitment of graduating students into the profession.  She talks about what she sees as the benefits of the program.

00:46:40	End of Side.  

Tape 1/Side 2

00:47:05	Horwtiz talks about her work as a mentor for graduate students.  She is currently the associate chair of the department, which forces her to focus on undergraduate issues.

00:48:00	She lists some of her work for national committees and university service.  Search committees.  She talks about her work as associate chair of the department.  Changes in the climate for students in the department.  Career counseling for undergrads.

00:50:52	She talks about the women’s group within the department.  She talks about efforts to bring in female speakers and other programs for women in the department. 

00:52:55	She talks about the international students in the department.  They make up nearly half of the student body.  

00:53:35	Hortitz discusses the climate for women in the sciences at UW.  The number of female majors in the department is very low.

00:52:25	She talks about other emerging scholars in other UW departments.  Women in the computer science department faculty.  

00:56:55	SH lists some of her activities in professional organizations.  Academic conferences. 

00:59:00	She talks about teaching writing skills to students.  Academic presentations.

00:59:47	She lists several awards and honors she was won during her career.

01:00:50	Horwitz talks about the grant funding for her project.  She points out that funding is much more difficult to obtain than it was in the past.  

01:01:45	Teaching awards.  

01:02:35	She talks about her family and her hobbies.  She discusses the problem of balancing work and personal life.  

01:05:25	She talks about her upcoming sabbatical year, which she will spend in France.

01:06:29	End of Side.  End of Tape. End of Interview.

END