Faculty

	Tim Baird Chairman Professor of Computer Science Phone: 501-279-4570 tbaird@harding.edu Ph.D., Missouri University of Science and Technology
About Dr. Baird Dr. Baird has served as the department’s Chair for more than 25 years. His primary research interests are in Databases and Machine Learning, and he regularly teaches courses on Databases, Artificial Intelligence, and Software Engineering. Dr. Baird is a long-time member of the ACM and has served on numerous Harding committees including the Faculty Leadership Council and Liberal Arts Curriculum Committee. For two decades, he built and maintained all the software for the Arkansas Dairy Cooperative. Dr. Baird received the university’s Teacher Achievement Award in 2014 and 2021. Tim and his wife Debbie have three adult children and are members of the Cloverdale Church of Christ, where they teach Bible classes and lead a small group. In his spare time, Tim enjoys training and riding horses and learning Spanish. LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. BAIRD
	Hailey Fields Instructor of Math and Computer Science hrfields@harding.edu M.S., University of Wisconsin – Madison
About Mrs. Fields Mrs. Fields, the newest member of Harding’s CS Department, is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she served as the TA for Discrete Mathematics and Introduction to Algorithms. Her general interests are in computational complexity and pseudorandom number generation. While an undergraduate student at Harding, Mrs. Fields spent much of her time tutoring local high school students. Mrs. Fields has always known she wanted to teach and is excited to be starting her career as an instructor at Harding. Hailey and her husband Jon-Michael worship at the Cloverdale Church of Christ. In her spare time, Hailey enjoys baking and playing board games.
	Gabriel Foust Assistant Professor of Computer Science Phone: 501-279-4434 gfoust@harding.edu Ph.D., Texas A&M University at College Station
About Dr. Foust Dr. Foust has been teaching CS at Harding since 2004. He has also worked as a software developer for IBM, Servergraph, and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Foust is interested in Programming Language Design and Implementation, and he teaches courses in Object-Oriented Programming, Functional and Generic Programming, Algorithms, and Parallel Programming. He is also the coach of the Harding University Programming Team, which regularly competes with other schools in programming competitions. Gabriel and his wife Shannon have four children and are members of the Downtown Church of Christ. He enjoys hiking, biking, and playing board games with his kids, and has been known to appear in plays at the Searcy Summer Dinner Theater.
	Frank McCown Assoc Professor of Computer Science Phone: 501-279-4826 fmccown@harding.edu Ph.D., Old Dominion University
About Dr. McCown Dr. McCown has taught in the CS department since 1997. Over the years, Dr. McCown has worked as a researcher or software developer at several organizations including Lockheed Martin, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Flatirons Solutions, and Faithlife. He has published dozens of research papers in the areas of digital preservation and web archiving. Most recently, he has authored or co-authored textbooks on Web Programming, Mobile Application Development, and Database Management Systems. Dr. McCown has won the university's Teacher Achievement Award twice. Frank and his wife Becky have two children. Frank serves as a deacon at the Cloverdale Church of Christ and also volunteers for CASA helping foster children. He enjoys basketball and lifting weights in his spare time.
	Scott Ragsdale Assoc Professor of Computer Science Phone: 501-279-4482 ragsdale@harding.edu Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University
About Dr. Ragsdale After working two years as a programmer for Delta Airlines, Dr. Ragsdale joined the Harding CS Department in 1984. Dr. Ragsdale’s dissertation was entitled "Pursuing and Completing an Undergraduate Computing Degree from a Female Perspective: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis." Dr. Ragsdale teaches a variety of courses including Introductory Programming, Data Structures, File Structures, Operating Systems, Object-Oriented Programming, Computer Security, and the popular CS Capstone course. He has won the university’s Teacher Achievement Award twice. In addition to his teaching, Scott served as an assistant football coach (24 years) and head golf coach (3 years) in the Bison athletic department. Scott and his wife Janis have two adult children. Scott has served as an elder at the West Side Church of Christ and loves playing golf in his spare time.
	Dana Steil Assoc Professor of Computer Science Assistant Provost Phone: 501-279-4340 dsteil@harding.edu Ph.D., University of Alabama
About Dr. Steil Dr. Steil is an Associate Professor of Computer Science, Assistant Provost, and Director of Institutional Research. For more than 20 years, he’s been working in student success, either as an administrator, data analyst, liaison between faculty and the Provost, or a classroom professor. Whether teaching, mentoring students in software development, or leading research grants tied to approximately $1M in the Criminal Justice and Traffic Safety fields, he’s motivated by his love for students and confidence in their impact in society and the Lord’s kingdom. As Assistant Provost, Dr. Steil contributes to most academic projects at Harding and manages students in institutional research projects. Dr. Steil has won the university’s Teacher Achievement Award twice. Dana and his wife Mandy have four children and are members of the Downtown Church of Christ. Dana enjoys woodworking, hiking, running, and other outdoor activities. The family serves as foster parents and hosts their church small group.