Effective February 1 of this year, Prof. Ken Fleischmann will take the reins as incoming leader of the iSchool, leading the unit into its next phase. Fleischmann is a trusted and familiar face at the iSchool, a cutting-edge researcher on human-centered AI,and an experienced administrator at the iSchool and beyond.
Fleischmann takes the baton from outgoing Interim Dean Soo Young Rieh, who will remain a key part of the community as a faculty member. Fleischmann’s new title, chair designate and interim dean, reflects UT’s proposal, currently under consideration by the UT System Board of Regents, to connect the iSchool with the departments of computer science and data science in a new “center of excellence” housed in the College of Natural Sciences.
“I am looking forward to working with the iSchool community to make the most of the opportunities that are ahead of us,” Fleischmann says. “I am confident that the future of the iSchool is bright and that we will be able to continue to build on the excellence of our academic and research programs.”
Fleischmann is perhaps best known around UT as founding chair of Good Systems, a UT Grand Challenge interdisciplinary effort that is the key hub for ethical AI research, partnerships and collaboration on campus. He was also the founding director of undergraduate studies for the iSchool's B.A./B.S. program in Informatics, and he currently serves both as interim associate dean for research and as director of doctoral studies at the iSchool.
In their email introducing Fleischmann’s new role, Provost William Inboden and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences David Vanden Bout credited his ability to provide stability and leadership throughout and beyond the planning phase of the proposed new school and his experience leading major initiatives at the iSchool, University and international levels.
Outgoing Interim Dean Rieh echoes her support for Fleischmann’s leadership going forward. “I have great confidence in Ken’s ability to lead the iSchool through the next chapter and to strengthen the school under
its new organizational structure,” she says.
In their emailed announcement, Inboden and Vanden Bout also credited Rieh with several important achievements during her tenure, including increasing iSchool enrollment to nearly 800 students, launching several initiatives to strengthen students’ career outcomes and significantly improving funding support for the PhD program.
“I would like to thank Soo for everything she has done for the iSchool,” Fleischmann says.
Rieh’s outgoing message to the iSchool is one of warm encouragement and gratitude to a community that she has led through the past eighteen months, emphasizing that she will support the new leadership in any way possible as a faculty member.
“The iSchool is a very special place where people care deeply about the school and about one another, and where generosity of time and commitment is a shared value,” she says. “As we move through a period of change in the coming months, I hope we can continue to hold onto this strong sense of community and take good care of one another. That spirit has always been one of our greatest strengths.”