Contact: Bob Ratliff
Shea and Shane Fox
A new degree program is in the right place at the right time for Mississippi State seniors Shane and Shea Fox of Meridian.
The identical twins-identical right down to their metal orthodontia-are the first students to enroll in the university's software engineering program. Approved this summer by the state Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning, the new 133-hour curriculum combines their shared interest in computers and long-term career goals.
MSU's software engineering program is among only eight in North America and three at a United States public university.
The sons of Sarah L. Fox are 1997 Meridian High School graduates who enrolled at MSU after completing associate degrees, with honors, last year at Meridian Community College. Their talents gained early recognition on the Starkville campus and they were selected to receive the Richard Holmes Cultural Diversity Center's 2000 Academic Achievement Award at spring semester ceremonies.
"We both have been interested in computers since taking our first programming course in high school," Shane said. "When we were choosing a major at Mississippi State, a mixture of programming and hardware classes made the most sense."
If the new degree program had not come along when it did, the duo might have graduated with only degrees in computer science. At both personal and scholastic levels, they now may truly be considered double majors.
"We chose software engineering as a second major because we always have wanted to start our own software company," Shea said.
Computer science department head Julia Hodges said the siblings are assembling the right educational backgrounds to meet that career objective after graduation.
"There is a tremendous demand for individuals with a strong knowledge of software and the engineering skills necessary to design high-quality, reliable systems," Hodges said.
"An additional plus for anyone interested in starting their own business is a new College of Engineering emphasis on developing its students' entrepreneurial skills," she added.