Dear iSchool Community,

I am writing to all of you to provide some iSchool context to the news shared by President Davis about our moving under the umbrella of a new School of Computing within the College of Natural Sciences in the fall. The college and University have committed to maintaining all our current academic credentials for students and for prospective students and to bringing new resources to bear for faculty hiring, supports for our students, and interdisciplinary research co-led by our community.

I also want to speak directly about my observations in leading in collaboration with our new colleagues in CNS. In my meetings with Dean Vanden Bout and many additional new colleagues, I continue to be impressed by the appreciation that they demonstrate for the expertise and human-centered approach that our field and community bring to this School of Computing and the college overall. Our students and alumni ensure that data, information, and knowledge are organized, accessible, and responsibly applied. We leverage human-centered approaches from libraries to innovate in user experience design. We bring understanding of data provenance from archives to protect information integrity.

Working with colleagues in computer science and in statistics and data sciences will deepen collaborations, bring opportunities to leverage resources and forge partnerships that connect the information field with complementary disciplines. The University has committed to significant faculty hiring as part of the new School of Computing, including in the iSchool, and I am looking forward to building on our areas of strength while also growing in new areas.

For our graduate students and our undergraduate informatics majors, including incoming students, academic programs are continuing, and new resources will be available through the College of Natural Sciences and the School of Computing. I want to assure our students that the courses you take, the communities you build, and the professional futures you are preparing for will continue to be supported and strengthened.

I want to acknowledge that change like this can feel uncertain. Our work – to teach inspiring courses, conduct innovative research, welcome new students, support current students, partner with philanthropic champions, convey our impact, and grow our community – all continues. I want to especially thank the iSchool staff who are so vital to every part of what we do. I am eternally grateful for your contributions to our community.

I hope all of you will join me in viewing the creation of the School of Computing as an opportunity for our community and join me in my excitement for the next chapter of a story that we will continue to create together. I truly appreciate everyone’s many contributions amid the transition. I am confident that together we will build a successful future for the iSchool as part of the School of Computing.

Kenneth R. Fleischmann
Interim Dean, School of Information