176 academics During the 2008 Homecoming weekend, many reunions took place, uniting people from near and far. Alumni and family traveled the country to become reacquainted with one another, along with getting to know Harding again. Among these reunions was one that was 25 years in the making – the reunion of the 25 past Association for Computing Machinery teams. The ACM, a professional and academic society for computer science, had organized collegiate competitions for over 40 years. Teams of three were given problems concerning algorithms and mathematics dealing with computer programming code. These contests were timed, and whichever team finished the most problems correctly in the allotted time won. Colleges and universities from all over took part in these national and worldwide contests, often sending multiple teams. “I really enjoy being a part of the team,” freshman Nathan Hurt said. “The programming contests are definitely a challenge. I believe they will help me in those high pressure situations when I have a short amount of time to figure them out.” Harding’s advisor and coach for the team for the past 25 years was Dr. Steven Baber, professor of math and computer science. Baber organized the team in 1983 and was in charge of the program ever since. Baber saw a lot of success with the team since they began competing. Teams continually improved and advanced further than the previous years. The ACM team in 1998 placed 29th in the world and 9th in the U.S. and in 2000 placed 22nd in the world and 8th in the U.S. The teams that they placed under were well known universities and institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve University, Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. Over the past 25 years, Baber enjoyed watching his students grow up and move on to their careers. “I am [really] proud of those students that have participated on our team these past 25 years,” he said. Members of these teams took the experiences of the contest with them as they moved on after college. Some went on to become missionaries and college professors. Others were chief operating officers, vice presidents and managers for companies like Microsoft, Symantec, Procter and Gamble and other powerhouse corporations. One member even became an assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Oman. “The most important benefit from participating in the ACM contest these past 25 years has been the confidence that is gained by all of our students,” Baber said. “It’s not just the team members that benefit from the successes. When our students see their classmates do well against the well-known schools, they are encouraged to know that they too can compete successfully in the ‘real world’.” Realizing that the fall of 2008 marked the 25th anniversary of the team, Baber decided it would be a good idea to hold a reunion of past and present teams. They hosted a luncheon and invited over 90 members to come and share experiences with one another. Many of the past members lived outside of Arkansas, but some were still able to come, including one from the original Harding ACM team. “It was a great experience being able to look back at some of the older teams and realize what they had done,” senior Benny Hardage said. “When it first started, they were working on big, mainframe computers, and it is neat to see the transition from then to now.” At the reunion, present and past members thanked Baber for starting the ACM. They expressed their thanks for his great teaching and coaching while they attended Harding. Even the new members were eager to express their thoughts on the team and how it has helped them. “I think Dr. Baber is a great coach,” Hardage said. “He has done so well over the years, and I couldn’t ask for a better teacher.” Cody Waits Celebration Computer programming celebrates 25 years
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