Introducing The Center For Computing And Information Science
Mallory Hall transformed into a technologically advanced research and instructional facility
Alumnus Anthony Scriffignano ’82, ’85 MA and University board member Francis Cuss join Susan A. Cole, Lora Billings and Constantine Coutras at the opening.
When it was dedicated in 1963 to honor former Montclair State Mathematics Professor Virgil Mallory, Mallory Hall was a modern educational facility with what was then considered state-of-the-art classrooms, labs and a lecture hall. More than half a century and a complete renovation later, the 34,400-square-foot Mallory Hall has been transformed into the 43,800-square-foot, cutting-edge Center for Computing and Information Science.
Funded in part by state bond funds, the new $22.2 million facility – like the other bond-funded projects such as Partridge Hall, the Center for Environmental and Life Sciences, and the Feliciano School of Business building – supports Montclair State’s mission as a Carnegie-designated research doctoral university and state-designated public research institution.
“The new Center will allow New Jersey’s second-largest university to sustain and grow high-quality, high-demand science programs that are directly aligned with the state’s and our students’ needs,” says Lora Billings, the new dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.
Classrooms and labs in the Center for Computing and Information Science include specialized research labs and instructional spaces for areas such as cybersecurity, data science, image processing, parallel and distributed computing, human-computer interaction and computational sensing.
The University’s strategic technology partner Sony Electronics has delivered a unique mix of classroom technologies, active learning solutions and state-of-the-art professional equipment – such as laser projectors; 55- and 85-inch displays; robotic pan/tilt/zoom cameras in collaborative spaces; and wireless microphone systems – to the high-tech center.
Department of Computer Science Chair Constantine Coutras is especially looking forward to the Center’s significantly expanded research spaces. With all the research space, Coutras explains, “We’ll be able to offer new graduate degrees, including an MS in Cybersecurity and an MS in Data Science.”
Another standout feature is the reconstructed and expanded skywalk that connects the Center to neighboring Schmitt Hall. Says Billings, “These common areas encourage increased communication within and across different disciplines, inspiring new research directions.”